Agriculture exports grow by double digits

TIRANA, Feb. 20 – Exports of agricultural products accelerated to 17 percent to 15.2 billion lek (Euro 106 million) in 2013, fuelled by increases in canned fish and medicinal plants, the top Albanian agricultural exports, according to an annual report published by the Agriculture Ministry.
After the slight drop in 2013, exports of canned fish and anchovy top Albania’s agricultural and agro-industrial products with around 3.4 billion lek (Euro 23.7 million), up 14 percent compared to 2012. Second come medicinal plants with exports in 2013 climbing by 27 percent to (Euro 23.4 billion lek), almost the same to exports of canned fish.
Albania exported some 4,423 tonnes of canned fish and anchovies in 2013, up from 3,047 tonnes in 2012. Meanwhile, exports of medicinal plants grew to 11,221 tonnes, up from 9,776 tonnes in 2012. Exports of vegetables were the third most important agricultural export in 2013 with around 1.3 billion lek (Euro 9.5 million).
Data show Albania imported around 87 billion lek (Euro 609 million) in agricultural and agro-industrial and livestock products in 2013, down 0.4 percent compared to 2012, registering a deficit of 72 billion lek. Imports of agro-industrial products account for around 62 percent of total agricultural imports, followed by agricultural and livestock exports. In the third quarter of 2013, when the Albanian economy contracted by 2.3 percent, agriculture was the only sector to register positive growth rates.