Fertiliser records in Malta: organise the official plan and farm information
Keep current field, crop, fertiliser and manure-movement records. Link each fertiliser movement or application to its field and material identity. The Agriculture Directorate’s record templates are optional formats. Start with the Nitrates Action Programme resources for the relevant plan and sheets.
Use the official fertiliser-plan template to document the crop nutrient calculation. Include expected yield, soil analysis, irrigation contributions and declared inputs. Enter yield in tonnes per hectare under the crop headings. Record fertiliser bought or applied separately from these planning calculations. Keep yield, soil analysis and irrigation contributions in their separate columns, and link the plan and analysis to evidence of completed work.
Record the farmer and calendar year, agricultural area, field locations, crop regimes and crop areas. Add applicable livestock details, fertiliser quantities and manure movements for the holding.
Calculate plant nutrient requirements for the field area, then account for nutrients in soil and irrigation water. Enter the remaining requirement as nutrients to be supplied by fertiliser.
Enter manure type, nutrient content per tonne, allowable manure nitrogen and manure quantities. Compare the maximum permitted manure rate with the amount needed to satisfy each nutrient requirement. Calculate the remaining fertiliser requirement for each nutrient. Complete the preparer’s identification, signature and date.
Record fertiliser entering or leaving the holding, amounts applied, inorganic nutrient content and field location. Link the invoice and material identity to the completed application.
For holdings subject to regulation 12, complete records for each calendar year by 30 October of the following year and retain them on the holding for at least five years. Check the conditional exemptions in regulation 3 against the holding’s land area and livestock categories.
For manure storage, enter capacity, rented facilities, production and separation details, including applicable rental or processing contracts. For livestock, record species, type, numbers and the period kept on the holding.
On the fertiliser plan, soil test data use mg/l, while the crop requirement uses kg/ha. Multiply the per-hectare requirement by the field area before subtracting soil and irrigation contributions recorded as kilograms. Calculate nitrogen, phosphate and potash independently, and write the unit beside every figure so a reviewer can recalculate the plan.
How does a farmer use fertilizer in a nutrient plan?
Before loading fertiliser, connect the crop nutrient requirement with the material’s actual declaration and the amount assigned to the parcel.
Use AgriKonsulta for tailored fertiliser planning and soil or water analysis. Prepare a specific enquiry with the crop, parcel, intended material and current plan. Avoid choosing a rate merely because a particular bag is already in the store.
Use BiedjaCam or AgriConnect support to prepare the crop plan. Include crop selection, planting periods, density, development, rotation and crop compatibility. The crop plan is the starting point for the fertiliser plan, so keep it connected with the next fertiliser job.
For manure movements, record the date and the consignee, consignor and any third-party transporter. Keep their identities with the movement record.
Separate crop requirement, soil contribution, irrigation water, manure and manufactured fertiliser in the calculation. Check whether each quantity is per unit area or a total for the field before converting it to a loading amount.
New Water Malta: apply for a card and connect it with the crop plan
To apply for New Water or manage a card, start at WSC's New Water page for the official application and distribution-point links. New Water is reclaimed water supplied through electronic dispensers accessed with a card or FOB. The current linked application is NWP/F001/5 2X2 05/26, covering new or replacement cards, suspension and a lost or stolen card.
Apply online through the Servizz New Water Access Card service using WSC Live, eID and account activation. Keep the submission acknowledgement with the account details.
Gather the ARPA field certificate before completing the application. The form requests parcel identifiers, measurements and coordinates, with the applicant's name matching that certificate. It also requests identity evidence and company authorisation where applicable.
Keep your spray records in one place. Free to start.
Enter the crop declaration through BiedjaCam or obtain AgriConnect assistance. Use the crop-plan guide to prepare the parcel and crop information.
On the official application, enter name, identity-card number, mobile number, email, farmer category and applicable VAT information. Select the application type matching your request.
Review the terms and data-protection notice, then sign and date the applicant declarations in their printed locations. Sign and date the separate data-protection declaration as well. Leave document-receipt checks, payment-receipt details, card or FOB identification and other processing entries for WSC staff. Prepare the supporting documents for those checks.
Submit through the WSC office route for Malta or Gozo, or register through eID in WSC Live. Activate the online account through its email and retain the acknowledgement.
Allocated New Water volumes depend on the crop plan supplied to MAFA. The water is non-potable, and the access card is personal to the named applicant. Keep these conditions with the farm’s irrigation instructions.
For a lost or stolen card, complete the corresponding declaration; use the suspension route when required. Cards cannot be transferred to third parties.
Read the conditions on debts, applicant responsibility, refusal, use and service interruptions. Check the account status and planned collection before scheduling irrigation that depends on New Water.
The annual New Water card/FOB fee is €25; leaving the card unused or losing it does not entitle you to a refund. It applies to newly issued and replacement cards; overdue annual renewals attract retrospective payment. Keep the payment receipt with the account reference.
Record the quantity actually irrigated and the parcel separately from registration and collection transactions, and keep card or FOB details with the service account.
Choose the best green manure crops for the gap before planting
Alfalfa, red clover and sweetclover can be grown as green manure and incorporated into soil. Compare their establishment, termination and rotation needs with the available gap before the following crop.
Incorporated legume forage contributes nitrogen-rich material. Record how the biomass is managed and incorporated when assessing the contribution to the following crop.
Annual legumes complete their life cycle in one growing season. Biennials have a two-year cycle, while perennials persist for several years. Match the species’ development to the intended green-manure period and termination method.
Rhizobia form root nodules on compatible legumes and obtain resources from the plant while converting atmospheric nitrogen. Match the rhizobia to the legume species. The nitrogen contribution to a following crop depends partly on the biomass incorporated.
NPK 20-20-20 fertilizer: how to use the nutrient declaration
For NPK 20-20-20 fertiliser, check the product analysis, the crop nutrient requirement and the mixing instructions for the intended application. Keep the calculated nutrient amount separate from the total weight of fertiliser.
Calculate nutrient supply from the exact product grade and planned quantity, then compare it with the field’s remaining requirement. Use the Nitrates Action Programme resources for the plan.
In the conventional grade description, NPK 20-20-20 declares twenty percent nitrogen, twenty percent phosphate as P2O5 and twenty percent potash as K2O. Read the phosphorus and potassium declarations on that oxide basis when calculating nutrient supply.
Read the grade in the order nitrogen, phosphate and potash. Guaranteed analyses may distinguish ammoniacal, urea and water-insoluble nitrogen, with additional nutrients declared separately. Use the declaration and instructions supplied with the actual product.
Neem seed meal: assess the actual material in the nutrient plan
Solvent extraction changes neem-cake composition. Some extraction treatments leave negligible meliacin contents. Use the supplied batch analysis when evaluating nutrient value and retained constituents.
Neem cakes contain meliacins such as azadirachtin-A, salannin and nimbin. Compare batch analyses for protein, sugars, calcium and iron, and retain the extraction history.
Next step
Gather the parcel details, current plan and material declarations. Ask AgriKonsulta to resolve the nutrient-planning questions.