A modern chestnut collection centre in the village of Dojan, Tropoja district, which was set up through the support from the Agricultural and Rural Development Agency (ARDA), today interacts with 3000 local households for collection, storage and export of chestnuts to Europe.
“Everything started from scratch. It was originally a meadow land, but we completed the project in a record time as soon as we were issued the due permit”, said Ardian, the entrepreneur who welcomed Prime Minister Edi Rama as he visited this enterprise today. Hungary and Italy are the two main European export destinations of the locally grown chestnuts, while, according to Ardian, more than 3000 local families are involved in this business. “We have been working under difficult conditions and our chestnuts were initially not much valued, but with the new collection centre now in place, this product is a highly-sought after product,” Ardian said as he explained the impact of the new investment. Ardian returned back home after many years living and working abroad and he set up this successful enterprise. “We are very pleased,” confirmed the representative of a Hungarian company, who was visiting the centre to finalize a chestnut supply contract.
Tropoja is also distinguished for the chestnut honey. ARDA has provided financial assistance to Tropoja beekeepers, who will also gain support for construction of a honey processing and packaging factory for local market and export. “Beekeeping is closely linked to the chestnut massif in Tropoja. More than 164 local beekeepers have benefited assistance from ARDA,” the Head of the Agency Frida Krifca said.
“I met Ardian some time ago and he insisted on the need to modernize the collection and storage system. He was somehow sceptical, but the day has come when everyone collecting chestnuts is provided the opportunity to sell entire quantity here and earn money for their families,” the Premier said, calling on the attending beekeepers to design similar projects in order to benefit financial support from ARDA. “You can join forces and create a cooperative with everyone having a share and together form a larger production community so that your chestnuts can be sold and exported under a single logo. I am convinced it would be a successful enterprise and we will provide utmost support,” the Premier said.
Blueberries are also a very popular and most-sought after product of Tropoja in the foreign market. Local farmers admitted that demand for blueberries has significantly increased in the domestic market too.
“We are honoured to support people who earn their living and success here,” the Premier said.
The government head, in a conversation with local farmers and entrepreneurs, noted the property ownership issues will also be solved soon, allowing families to exploit the chestnut forest massif and generate income.
“We inherit serious property issues over the past 30 years. The law 7501, as it is the case here, has not worked in many areas across the country. But the true fact is that people have returned to their old properties and land borders after the fall of the communist-era cooperatives without any conflicts between them. The law 7501 has hindered the process, but I believe we have finally solved this process,” the Premier noted.
“We thank you for visiting Tropoja. I am confident hope will be revived in Tropoja. I see that the schools, the town of Tropoja, the health care centres have undergone complete transformation since 2016,” one of the local participants said, adding that Tropoja is rich in development resources, but the area has been totally neglected.
