Thousands of farmers benefit subsidies

TIRANA, April 19 – More than 8,000 farmers nationwide have applied to benefit agricultural subsidies during this year, according to Agriculture Ministry sources. The subsidies which are being granted on cattle, greenhouse crops, bio-farms and the agri-processing industry assisting farmers with interest-free loans.
Sources say the 2010 fund was 15 million dollars, 40 percent of which was used to support the national olive tree programme.
The ministry says some 2,000 new hectares of olive groves, 275 hectares of grapes and 550 hectares of fruit trees were planted in 2010 under state support schemes.
The 2011 budget will continue supporting Albanian farmers with subsidies even for newly included nut trees such as hazelnut, almond, chestnut, pomegranates apart from the national programme of olive.
Earlier this year, Prime Minister Sali Berisha announced the launch of a nut tree cultivation national programme, which he described as the second most important after the olive tree programme. Berisha said government would do its utmost to support the planting of at least 30 million nut trees, including hazelnut, almond, chestnut, pomegranates in the next four years.
“Government will pay for each sapling. I call on them to apply and present their project to the agriculture directorate,” said Berisha.
According to him, the number of olive trees in Albania has already increased by 5 million under the new project which is expected to take their number to 20 million.
Under the 2011 budget on the Agriculture Ministry, farmers will also continue receiving subsidies, whose levels have increased by 30 percent reaching 1.26 billion lek
The national olive tree programme will continue being at the centre of the subsidies. Subsidy support will also be provided to fruit tree cultivation, solar greenhouses, olive oil processing, modern irrigation, bio products and milk.