TIRANA, July 11- Although the number of cattle dropped in 2018, in paradox the number of agricultural and cattle by-products increased during the year. According to the data published by the Albanian Institute of Statistics (INSTAT), the amount of milk collected increased by 5.87 percent compared to the previous year, reaching the amount of 139 thousand tons. During this period, the amount of cow’s milk collected was about 120 thousand tons, marking an increase of 10.0 percent compared to 2017.
On the other hand, in 2018 the amount of sheep’s milk is about 12 thousand tons, marking a decline of 10.52 percent compared to the previous year. The amount of milk collected from goats is about 6 thousand tonnes, marking a 22.95 percent decrease compared to 2017. In 2018, the amount of milk produced for consumption is about 14 thousand tons, up 7.26 percent compared to 2017. Compared to the total amount of milk produced in 2018, complete processed milk accounts for 77.1 percent , semi-skimmed milk amounted to 22.0 percent, crude milk 0.7 percent, and skimmed milk 0.2 percent.
According to INSTAT, the quantity of cow cheese produced has increased during 2018 was 11,400 tons, from 10,800 that were a year earlier. While the quantities of cheese produced from sheep and goat’s milk have decreased. The volume of butter produced increased by 3.22 percent compared to 2017. Data on milk collection and its by-products are collected by INSTAT through statistical surveys at enterprises that collect and process milk in the country.
The number of cattle in 2018 was 467,318, down by 1.7 percent compared to 2017, INSTAT reports. The number of goats in 2018 was 1,863,837, marking a decrease of 3,2 percent compared to 2017. The main category of goats consists of dairy sheep with about 73.3 percent of the total herd. The number of goats in 2018 is 917,155 heads, an annual decline of about 1.7 percent compared to 2017. The main category is represented by dairy goats, with 97.5 percent of the total flock. In 2018, the number of pigs is 184,133, marking an annual growth of about 2.2 percent compared to 2017. The highest concentration of heads is in Lezha with 35.9 percent and in Shkodra with 27 percent to the total of all the livestock.
Large livestock farms in the country have entered a difficult survival cycle. Bankruptcies have increased, because their products are not competitive with the black market and imports. High base food costs, on the one hand, and high market informality on the other hand, derive farm produce at 35 percent higher than imports. Smaller farmers say they are no longer motivated to deal with livestock, as food for livestock is expensive, and the low-priced dairy sales do not help them cover the low-income costs they generate.
