TIRANA, Dec. 16 – Albania has become the first country in the Balkans where the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has opened an office.
The office, FAO’s first on the Balkans, will coordinate FAO projects in national priority areas such as support to farmers, climate change and natural resource conservation, statistics, veterinary reform and food safety.
“At the regional level, the Balkans remains an important region for FAO in terms of contributing to global food security and within the Balkans Albania is an important country for FAO,” said FAO Director-General Jose Graziano da Silva.
“Environmental challenges are becoming more evident, such as the recent floods, and FAO stands ready to contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies,” he added.
Albanian Agriculture Minister Edmond Panariti said the opening of the FAO office will strengthen the Albanian agriculture sector by helping it to handle regional and global challenges such as floods.
During his visit to Albania, the FAO Director-General was awarded by the Agricultural University of Tirana the honorary Dr. Honoris Causa degree for his “continuous assistance to the development of Albanian agriculture and the opening of FAO office in Albania.”
Agriculture is one of the most important sectors in the Albanian economy, currently employing about 50 percent of the country’s population but providing only 20 percent of the GDP, unveiling huge challenges to increase its competitiveness and productivity.
