Minister Panariti: Formalization of the agriculture sector and increase of governmental investments

“The formalization of the agriculture sector is our main priority,” declared Minister of Agriculture, Edmond Panariti during a TV interview.

He showed optimism for a further development and more government’s investments in agriculture next year as the budget 2015 has raised agriculture funds up to 25% compared to 2014.  Panariti declared that it’s time for farmers to merge and to operate in group, the proper way to develop agriculture in Albania, according to Panariti.

“The best alternative for farmers in Albania is to unite and collaborate with each other based on the products they produce. It is not about the communist cooperatives, these farmers will be always owners of their lands and produce. In the Kafaraj commune, about 60 farmers have unified their production towards strawberries. They have a guaranteed market for their products, a collection point that instructs them how much products must produce per season. The same model has been applied in the Dervican commune with the tomato production,” explained Panariti.

As Minister Panariti announced, on November 21^th of this year, the Ministry of Agriculture will publish the map of the regionalization of agricultural products. “This will highlight the prior products of a specific district that will be supported and take advantage from the governmental grants. For example, for the region of Shkoder, the Ministry will give grants to farmers which will produce medicinal and aromatic plants and also chestnuts, for the region of Saranda only farmers which produce citrus fruits will be subsidized” said the Minister. But, he highlighted the fact that farmers will not be obliged to produce only the products recommended by the Ministry of Agriculture map, because it only shows the products that will be subsidized.

Minister Panariti also mentioned the new law on agriculture, according to which all owners will be sued in cases they do not put in use their barren lands.

News source: ATA
Photo credits: Peter Fend’a / Flickr