Minister blames international market prices for hikes

TIRANA, Sep. 28 – Minister of Agriculture, Food and Consumer Protection, Jemin Gjana, blamed the increase of the prices in the international market for the recent hike noted in prices in the Albanian market.
Gjana said that a considerable part of the wheat is imported and its price has seen a great increase, nearly doubling in the world market.
The ministry has also concluded that the increase of the price of fuel, energy and other raw material used by Albanian businesses have had already a negative impact on the economy.
Gjana also said that the government was trying to intervene with different projects to assist the work of local farmers. Last year, the government spent some $4 million to support the development of green yards and fruit trees. increasing the land planted with them by 1,000 hectares. In 2006 Albanian agriculture increased by 2.55 percent, or about half of the country’s economy, which was about five percent.