Author: Denis Tahiri
"It is imperative that agriculture is included in the insurance scheme. To ensure the farmers, to ensure the producers their production and not to be faced with the surprises of the weather, completely destroyed and then go out on the streets and return to the government 'we want the money''", declared Prime Minister Rama during the presentation of the program for agriculture for 2022. But despite measures such as the establishment of the advisory service, farmers are exposed and unprotected not only from the surprises of the weather but also others such as war, taxes and change of prices.
As producers of 1.295.726 tons of vegetables and 684.023 tons of grain, the farmers, whether those of fruit trees, citrus or field plants, are maintaining the culture of agriculture in sacrificial conditions.
Work and loss
24-year-old Dhimitër Kuli has been dedicated to the agricultural sector since a young age. The young man also graduated from the high school for "Plant Protection", investing in his future in the agricultural sector.
"Currently I work in agriculture in Divjakë, the main crops we produce are watermelons, carrots, potatoes, onions and cabbages of all kinds". says the 24-year-old who adds that last year the agricultural production of crops grown in his greenhouses was sufficient. "This year it is a bit of a problem because of the bad weather conditions, but also because of a tax that the state imposed on us for 10% for imputations. It has burdened us a bit. Recently, the prices have risen a lot, a quintal of dap used to be bought for around 80 thousand old lek, today we buy it for 130 thousand old lek, in addition to the increase in prices due to the pandemic, due to the wars, this tax has also been imposed on us". says the young farmer, who adds that this tax affects the increase in costs and its effect is a chain burdening the pockets of consumers.
But this tax has been newly imposed, after several years it was reduced from 20% to zero. The imposition of this tax, the high prices of agricultural inputs, the lack of subsidies from the state, have caused the number of cultivated areas to be smaller.
"Last year I cultivated about 8 hectares of land, while this year about 6-7 hectares. Next year, let's see the situation because he doesn't know", he concludes by saying that they do not receive subsidies at the moment. "We received some oil last year, we have applied this year as well and we hope that we will receive it because it makes it easier for us somehow".
Crops are shrinking
The fields of Lushnja have not without right been described for years in a row during these 30 years as the "barn of Albania". For decades, the cultivated crops in this area have had a wide spectrum. Meanwhile, the years of the pandemic as well as the war in Ukraine have dealt a big blow to this sector, which is also one of the sectors with the largest employment in the country, but the difficulty is also increased by the lack of financial support from the state.
64-year-old Pajtim Malaj, due to his profession, can be one of the best connoisseurs of cultivated lands in Albania. He has been working with irrigation systems and computerized fertilization systems for 26 years.
"The change comes from day to day, both the farmers and us being perfected in our work following the most developed industries"- says Pajtimi, adding that: "During the two years of the pandemic, there has been a contraction in agriculture as farmers have not gone to work, but we have also been a little strained because of the virus".
But after so many years in this sector, the 64-year-old says that there are also farmers who have left this profession. "During the last two years, there are farmers who are growing, but there are also farmers who are leaving their lands and moving away. Farmers are isolated, their plots are small, the investment is big, these are the reasons". he says, without forgetting to add a big and current problem for farmers, especially at a time when the crisis has made the price of fuel very expensive.
"The problem that farmers have today is oil, which does not have a fixed price for farmers, because with this price of oil, farmers have left their land fallow, the prices of raw materials have increased due to the pandemic and the war in Ukraine. he concludes.
Even Dilaver Kamberi, manager of a company active in agriculture, says that the price of fuel, which has the same taxes for both the citizen and the farmer, burdens the cost of the latter. "It is impossible today to operate a tiller or a tractor at the cost of oil. It has nothing to do with the road tax, the government is not daring, it tries to remove something for the farmer". he says.
Agriculture, the weak point of the economy
The Albanian government has imposed a tax of 10% on agricultural inputs, even though this sector was hit the hardest due to the increase in raw material prices due to the pandemic and shortages in international markets.
"There is a marked increase in the prices of import references that have polythene composition, such as plasma for greenhouses, irrigation pipes, which for three years have a heavy cost in the payment of the import made at the customs offices in our country. These are also accompanied by the effects of the global crisis, the war in Ukraine, which have directly affected the prices of fertilizers." says Dilaver Kamberi, adding that this has brought difficulties today for the farmer to think twice before working the land or not.
Alban Lila, who is active in the import of agricultural inputs, says that they have nothing in hand regarding the increase in the prices of agricultural inputs. "The companies that are out there are so big that you can't ask them for a price. Prices have risen everywhere in the world. Here is this German fertilizer company (points to the company logo) I have received two price lists in an email, up to this date is this price list, from this date to this date is this price list as there has been a shortage of material first", he says, adding that the increase in prices has affected the fertilizer sector the most, where there was a 200% increase in one year. "It started in February 2021 and so far it is 200%. It has reached the point where you accept a 200% higher price and you have no product." he concludes.
The socialist deputy accused the government
And while the Albanian economy has grown compared to the years of the pandemic, it seems that the agricultural sector continues to be in crisis. Socialist deputy Erion Braçe, who has become an opposition voice within the socialist majority regarding agricultural issues, in a video published says that: "This is a difficult year and crisis for the agricultural and livestock economy due to the triple increase in the price of agricultural inputs, everyone needs agricultural support in a fair and equal way. Does the decision of the Ministry of Agriculture for this year's budget support fulfill these principles, for me no. It is precisely for this reason that I called the Minister of Agriculture to the interpellation again".
And what Mr. Braçe says, is also accepted by the farmers who are disappointed by the support that the state has given them not only during this difficult time, but also earlier.
"The steps to support farmers are known, they are clear, the problem is that there is no desire from the government to directly support the farmer. The few packages that exist are very difficult for farmers to benefit from, the criteria are impossible for most farmers. Investors can benefit from them, but not the farmer. The farmer is almost not supported in our view", says a farmer whom we met at an agricultural fair in Lushnja.
Farmers' association: The government reduced funds
Eduart Sharka, who is the head of the farmers' association, says that what is most painful is the abandonment of greenhouses in Albanian agriculture.
"There are farmers who came from emigration and threw away their remittances or took microloans from microloans with high interest and now they have been forced to leave." he says, adding that this has happened because in the last three years agriculture has faced strong market crises, having a breakdown in the demand-supply ratio.
"This has caused the farmers to fail one season, to fail the second season as well, and the farmers' economy is a fragile economy, they have left their investments and returned to emigration. This was one of the reasons." he says, pointing out that it is necessary for the farmer to be guided by the Ministry of Agriculture on the necessary crops and the time when they should be cultivated so that the market has demand.
Sharka emphasizes that what puts farmers in great difficulty is the lack of subsidies. "We are in conditions where agriculture contributes 20% to GDP, while the state budget gives a total of 1.5% to the Ministry of Agriculture, where 0.05% goes to subsidies. We are very far from the region, while we don't even discuss Europe at all. To Europe, agriculture gives 1-2% of GDP and takes 5% of expenses, we are very far", he says. Sharka also highlights the removal of the 6% that was previously for agriculture, i.e. public money that was injected into agriculture, a figure which for the farmers' association amounted to 50-60 million euros.
"It was removed by being allocated to AZHBR, where it is given through the oil scheme. The government claims that this year it gives 27 million through support schemes and added another 4 million, bringing it to 31 million, but forgot that last year it was 60 million and halved it. he says, stressing once again that farmers are leaving a lot for seasonal work and the abandonment of investment in agriculture is turning into a big problem.
Regarding the 10% tax on agricultural inputs, the head of the farmers' association calls it an absurdity. "We have asked the government together with the exporters' association to stop the increase by 10% at the moment that we are in a time of crisis, but no one reacted". he says, highlighting once again how neglected the agricultural sector is in Albania, even more so at a time when autumn is expected to find us with shortages and other price increases due to the Ukraine crisis.
