Each year, Albanian agricultural products are increasingly becoming the most sought after in European markets, due to their certified quality, organic values and authentic taste. The Danish Green Garden, which has been operating in Copenhagen for over 20 years since 2009, has also been established in Albania, initially in Fier and now in the village of Krutje, Lushnje district, after receiving a 12-million grant under the national funding scheme. Entrepreneur Muhamet Isen, along with his spouse Denada, farm administrator, decided to transfer their activity to Albania.
“This is just the beginning. We have rented seven other hectares of land in Fier and we plan to rent more land here in Krutje in the future. We will expand our activity and we plan to build a 10-ha new greenhouse. We grow organic products that are mainly exported for private mass catering, mostly restaurants in Denmark. We own a farm of around 20 hectares of land in Denmark. We work there during summer months and grow as many produce as possible as still fail to meet our needs. We export three trailer loads a week. Our exports from Albania account for around 50 percent of the total, while we import the remaining 50 percent from Italy and Spain during winter. We plan to meet all our needs by expanding our activity here in Albania only,” Denada said, adding that with the business expansion they have hired an additional number of 50 employees in the newly-build greenhouse in Lushnja.
Prime Minister Rama pledged his government support for this business growth, hailing it a success story. He said that the locally-grown agricultural products are increasingly becoming the most sought in the European markets with highest food quality and safety standards.
“We will support you in all ways. This is an extraordinary model of success. It is a model of hope and perspective. This is to show others imagine how much they can do by growing such products given that they are exported to as far as Denmark,” PM Rama said.
Danish Green Garden provides supplies to most renowned and leading restaurants in Denmark, including Noma, perhaps the world’s most famous organic restaurant in Copenhagen, run by chef Rene Rexhepi. Different varieties of salads, carrots, turnips, as well as about 20 types of fresh spices are cultivated in the greenhouses run by Issen family and Danish Green Garden, one of the only 3 growers of such agricultural produce in Denmark.
More than 4 000 farmers have benefited either direct funding or investment support under the national funding scheme to support agricultural and rural development in Albania. “During 2018, we have supported 244 farmers to construct or modernize greenhouses. As many as 33 applications, with an estimated value of EUR 5.8 million, have been filed with the Agricultural and Rural Development Agency, ARDA, to benefit funding under the IPARD Programme, which means that 33 more new greenhouses will be built. We are increasing the production capacities for vegetables so that Albania becomes competitive in the region,” ARDA Director Frida Krifca said.
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The rural roads linking the whole Myzeqe area, the so-called agricultural ring road project in Lishnja, will become fully operational by next summer. The work to construct the last segment of the agricultural ring road linking Lushnja’s southern part with the Lushnje-Berat highway, is already underway. This segment completes the road project designed to provide this area with access to the market. Prime Minister Edi Rama and Deputy Prime Minister Erion Braçe inspected the ongoing construction works on three segments of the new road. The construction site manager said that the $4-million project is expected to complete by next summer.
Deputy PM Braçe said that the previous road had become a cause for concern for the local residents as it provided no access to the market. “This road links Lushnja’s entire southern part with Lushnje-Berat highway. Countless number of greenhouses have been built and already operate in this area and the products will be transported along this road to reach Lushnje market,” Deputy PM Braçe said, adding that the Myzeqe ring road will help the agricultural economy of the entire area and with its completion the area will no longer need agricultural roads.
