The farmers were able to apply at the Regional Directorates of Agriculture to benefit from the subsidy that has been made available through the state budget.
TIRANA, March 2 – About 5,000 farmers have applied to become part of a government agricultural subsidy scheme that offers interest-free loans, the Albanian Agriculture Ministry said this seek.
The farmers were able to apply at the Regional Directorates of Agriculture to benefit from the subsidy that has been made available through the state budget.
Officials told the Albanian media that a decision on who qualifies for the loans will be made early this month, and the winners would be notified by the Regional Agricultural Development Agency.
The loans are part of the government’s efforts to revitalize the agriculture sector and can be used for things like livestock, green houses, organic farms and agro-processing.
The Ministry of Agriculture says the fund is monitored by independent organizations that have conducted hundreds of interviews with farmers all over the country.
In the three years the program has been in place, the number of beneficiaries has increased substantially from year to year. For 2010, the support fund is 15 million dollars and about 40 percent will go toward the national olive program.
Albania’s government has been pushing for higher olive production for some time, but and is willing to invest millions to plant more trees. Olive trees in Albania take 5 percent of agricultural land. There are 4 million trees in the country, with about half planted in the past 50 years.
