Agriculture sector has set an unprecedented record of growth over the past few years, transitioning from a surviving to a thriving sector with an increasing number of farm enterprises being launched constantly. Albania aims to become a top regional leader in tourism, agritourism and agricultural exports in the next few years. This is the ambition that Prime Minister Edi Rama shared with local farmers, entrepreneurs operating in food processing and collection of agricultural products in the area of Morave, Berat municipality. The government head noted that the goal is that Albania’s agriculture exports grow to over $1 billion in the coming years.
Fatos has founded one of the largest collection and storage centres for the export-bound agricultural products. Around 1500 farmers are involved in his enterprise. Last year, though being a very tough period due to the pandemic, Albania exports grew by 40%. Another entrepreneur involved in medicinal herbs growing and collection involves around 3000 farmers from Delvine to Koplik in his value chain and exports to Europe, the United States and South Korea. Another farmer involved in growing greenhouse vegetables for over 15 years, said he has doubled the greenhouse area and has multiplied production over the past four years. These are just a few of the success stories in Berat that have turned Berat into an example of transformation of agriculture, the Prime Minister Edi Rama said.
“Berat has become an exemplary platform of transformation of agriculture, moving from a surviving to a thriving sector as many new enterprises are being launched. Albania can now afford seeking to become a Balkan champion in tourism, agritourism and agricultural exports. These three links of development form the basis for quality employment. Employment is a major challenge facing all countries in the region. Creating new better-paying jobs is the extraordinary challenge we face,” the Premier said.
The government head highlighted some facts and figures.
– Albania’s agriculture exports have grown from around $100 million to over $4000 million. Agriculture exports will grow to over $one billion in the next four years;
–The area of cultivated land has almost doubled to over 235,000 hectares from 125,000 hectares just seven years ago;
– The greenhouses capacities and the greenhouse produce exports have multiplied. The agriculture import-export ratio was 7 to one just 7 years ago. But we now import only three and export a lot more. The agricultural imports have been halved, while exports have grown exponentially. This means that locally grown produce is now more present in the domestic market and ready to be exported.
The Premier pledged that the government will keep assisting farmers and agro-processing enterprises to also benefit under the EU-funded programmes for agriculture as the European Commission approved a fund of 90 million euros for this sector a day ago.
“The EU Ambassador announced yesterday the approval of a new tranche of 90 million euros to support agriculture. I am very proud that thanks to ARDA’s leadership and its completely different approach managed to take a significant leap, taking Albania from bottom to the top of countries in the region in terms of absorbing the EU funds.
Today, the Albanian agriculture has embarked on the path towards transformation from a sector struggling to survive into lucrative sector, not for one or two only, but for entire networks of people. Albania is today one of the largest tomato exporters in Europe in terms of the percentage per capita. This is because new conditions were created, the growth of greenhouses, collection capacities and negotiation capacities.”
Tourism and agritourism will continue to benefit support as two sectors with huge development potential for household, local and national economy.
“The country is blessed with mountains and the sea, the fertile land, sun, and water as the second richest country in water sources in the entire continent. All it takes is just determination and readiness to attract big investors, who are finally entering the country to make major investments in coastal tourism, promote agritourism, bring back as many Albanian nationals living abroad, if not physically, let them send their savings an invest in their private family homes to launch agritourism activities and maximally strengthen production, further expand the greenhouse area and the number of greenhouses, completing a whole network of collection and storage centres,” Rama said.
