Malta is to have its first national plant gene bank, Agriculture Minister Anton Refalo announced this week.

The project will also include a botanical museum that will be available to the public for educational purposes.

This initiative, with investment of €3 million, is being carried out by the Plant Protection Directorate, with co-financing from the Rural Development Funds 2014-2020.

The project is intended to help the agricultural sector and the country’s rural botanical biodiversity.

The Minister explained that the project is at an advanced stage and is expected to be completed next year.

“Once the construction and fitting work is completed, the work of collecting and conserving seeds of local varieties and native plants will begin, as well as the collection of herbaria for botanical studies and genetic studies to document the botanical biodiversity of our country over the coming years,” he said. .

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