TIRANA, June 9/ATA/- At the venues of the GIZ Office Albania there was held the presentation activity of the second phase of the project “Sustainable Rural Development”, financed by the German and Swiss Governments and implemented by GIZ Albania, in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Ministry of Tourism and environment.
The project aims to promote competitiveness and income in rural areas throughout its implementation in the next four years (2023-2026), contributing more broadly to sustainable development in the country.
Working closely with Albanian businesses and government, the project will support the design of development policies and innovative practices in agriculture and rural tourism, promoting green growth, digitization and diversity in line with the country’s EU accession process.
Agricultural production is the focus of the project, with special emphasis on greenhouse vegetables, fruits and dairy products. Through initiatives such as the adoption of biological pest control methods, the aim is to improve the quality and quantity of their production.
In her speech, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Frida Krifca said that the second phase of the “Sustainable Rural Development” project provides farmers with an additional tool to increase farm productivity.
In parallel with the support in the agricultural sector, the project aims to promote rural tourism with a focus on agrotourism, adventure tourism and the management of tourist destinations.
“We have started communications with ITB BERLIN, the world’s largest tourism fair, for Albania to be the country of honor in 2025, which renders into a series of activities from 2024 to 2025, and I invite partners to support us in this new project”, said Minister of Tourism and Environment Mirela Kumbaro.
The project will support the creation of successful pilot models in both sectors, with the aim of their further replication throughout the market.
Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany Peter Zingraf mentioned some of these models, such as biological control in greenhouses or innovative tourism platforms, with the aim of improving tourism products everywhere in Albania.
While the Deputy Head of the Swiss Mission in Albania Dr. Patrick Meier emphasized the importance of cooperation between donors and the Albanian government for sustainable rural development in Albania.
At the end of the activity, the guests were presented with some of the certified local products, fruit-vegetable and dairy products supported by GIZ during the last four years./p.s./
