TIRANA, Sept. 28 – Albanian apple exports have registered a 10-fold increase in the past six years, mainly thanks to higher quality production in the region of Korà§a, southeastern Albania, accounting for more than two-thirds of domestic production.
Until few years ago dropped because of failing to penetrate local and regional markets, Korà§a apples have now become an international brand successfully reaching European, African and Asian markets as pesticide free products meeting international standards.
Vullnet Gjolla, the deputy head of the Korà§a Agricultural Institute, tells Agroweb portal Korà§a apples have now reached the Egypt and Saudi Arabia markets and there is growing interest for their import.
When Korà§a region farmers started selling their products abroad in 2011, exports were mainly destined for regional neighboring countries such as Kosovo, Montenegro and Macedonia and did not exceed 500 to 600 metric tons a year.
In recent years, exports have expanded to Bulgaria and Greece as well as Egypt and Saudi Arabia, providing guarantee for rising domestic production as long as it meets international safety standards.
“The apple exports started in 2011 and until 2013 it was at about 500 to 600 metric tons a year. Exports increased to 1,050 metric tons in 2014 and to 10,500 metric tons in 2015 and have been at about 9,500 tons from 2016 until April 2017,” Vullnet Gjolla is quoted as saying by agriculture focused Agroweb portal.
Apple exports are destined both for consumption and industrial use at a 50/50 ratio.
Albania has more than 30 million apple trees, with an annual production of about 73,000 metric tons.
In the past few years, Korà§a has been celebrating its apple production with a special festival in early October featuring local apple varieties and products made of them.
The southeastern region of Korà§a, famous for its fruit and vegetable products, also holds great potential for agritourism development, which currently remains largely untapped.
Albania’s fruit and vegetable production has registered a sharp increase in the past five years, meeting the majority of the country’s needs and increasing exports.
However, Albania continues remaining a net importer when it comes to fruit, with imports registering a record high of 6.3 billion lek (€46.4 million) in 2016, and being 2.4 times higher than the country’s exports, according to state statistical institute, INSTAT.
Albania is known for its vegetable production in the Fier region, southwestern Albania, the breadbasket of Albanian agriculture, citrus cultivation in the southern Konispol area, famous for its Xarre mandarin cooperatives, southernmost Albania and apples in the Korà§a region.
However, it is canned fish and medicinal plants which top the country’s agricultural exports.
Agriculture is a key sector in the Albanian economy, employing about half of the country’s GDP but producing only about 20 percent of the GDP, unveiling its low productivity which is hampered by fragmentation of farm land into small plots and poor financing and technology employed.
