The fruit and vegetable processing factory in Tamare, Malesi e Madhe, is an impressive entrepreneurship established thanks to ingenuity and commitment of hard working people, thanks to the support from the Agricultural and Rural Development Agency (ARDA).

Prime Minister Edi Rama today visited the modern fruit and vegetable processing centre built on a previously barren no man’s land with little or almost no human existence and no road leading there, but that has now been radically transformed under the National Urban Renaissance Program, turning it into an important tourist destination amidst stunning nature.

Frida Krifca, ARDA Director, said that only a year after a contract was signed with the Agency she heads, the new factory was built and became consolidated as a producer of premium quality fruit and vegetable essences, flavour powders and natural juices, a very important business to the area. “This place was merely a barren land previously. The contract with ARDA was signed a year ago, precisely on July 29, 2019, and work has advanced rapidly. The project is about to complete as part of the IPARD Programme. It is a factory that meets EU standards in terms of products quality and safety. The volume of fruits and vegetables expected to be collected and processed here is estimated at around three metric tonnes per hour. It is an incredibly huge amount, which will totally change the chain value for farmers. We are visiting an investment project worth around EUR two millions and it is necessary for the area.”

Praising the investors for their hard work and dedication, PM Rama called for promotion of the locally-grown produce also by labelling products  with a standard of identity by using Albanian names of the region they are produced.