The Maltese market might seem uninteresting to potential exporters because they base their judgment solely on the fact that Malta has a population of less than half a million inhabitants. Nevertheless those who already export to Malta already appreciate that this is far away from the truth. The facts show differently due to several reasons:
Malta’s population is much higher on average throughout the year due to the 1.14 million tourists that visit the islands every year.
Total Food market per annum in Malta is estimated at 606 million euro (figures issued by Malta NSO 2010)
Malta produces only around 25% of its food requirements. Therefore the food market relies heavily on imports for its food necessities. In the last 5 years, 65% to 75% of all food requirements per year were imported.
The value of food imports to Malta in 2009 and the preceeding 4 years ranged between Eur 387 – Eur 427 million per annum
The Maltese households spend a high percentage of their disposable income on food consumption. Food consumption expenditure was estimated at 15.0 per cent of total private expenditure by final consumers in the local market in 2009.