Chloe Portelli, the daughter of Gozitan construction magnate Joseph Portelli, says she is excited to start planting potato trees after the Planning Authority today granted her permission to build an agricultural store on farmland in Nadur.
Portelli, who works as a general manager for her father’s chain of hotels, is registered as a farmer.
“Now that the PA has come to its senses and given the store the all-clear, I can’t wait to plant some potato trees, and then pick the potatoes from the branches when they’re fully grown after a week,” Portelli told Bis-Serjetà, adding that she would be planting the trees using the standard method of throwing the seeds on the ground and saying the magic words.
“Maybe I could also have some onion bushes, and dig apples and lemons up from the ground. And make big piles of straw so strawberries grow out of them. Being a farmer is so rewarding,” she added.
Meanwhile, Portelli has pinky-promised not to further develop the land.
“I wouldn’t dream of exploiting the place’s rural beauty and panoramic views of Malta and Comino for personal gain,” she said.
