Agricultural exports rise in H1 2012

TIRANA, July 9 – Albania’s agricultural and farming exports registered double-digit increases in the first half of this year, Agriculture Minister Genc Ruli said at an agribusiness fair held in Fier last weekend. Exports of vegetables and farming products rose by 24 percent and 54 percent respectively while agri-industrial exports were up 12 percent, said minister Ruli referring to preliminary data by the Customs Directorate General. Meanwhile, imports of agricultural products during the first half of 2012 have dropped by 5 percent in value.
More than 100 exhibitors participated in the annual Fier Agribusiness fair which brought together farmers, processing companies, vocational training schools, and local government authorities.
Visiting some of the projects which have benefited funding from the Agency for Agricultural and Rural Development, minister Ruli appealed to local businesses to become part of the agency’s financing schemes. A 10-hectare hazelnut field, a chicken incubator and a modern flour mill are some of the projects the Agency has supported in Fier.
Albania’s agricultural exports registered a sharp 32 percent increase in 2011 boosted by the performance of canned fish and medicinal plant, the country’s top exported products. Legal barriers, lack of liquidity and inability to enter new markets are some of the difficulties agricultural enterprises face in Albania, according to a survey conducted by the Albanian Agribusiness Council. High loan interest rates remain unaffordable for a majority of agribusiness companies.