TIRANA, Sept 4 /ATA/ – The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) lawmaker Jorida Tabaku called on government on Wednesday to review its agriculture and rural development policies, claiming that “Albanian agriculture is undergoing a constant crisis situation.”
According to the opposition MP, “the government decision to cut its state budget funds by 2.5 million euros at a time when the country’s growth is sporadic and when agriculture has only grown by 1.2% in a decade, is a wrong and unacceptable step.”
Tabaku stated that “agriculture hasn’t recorded growth in the last three or four years and government has paid minimum attention to the sector.”
She noted that the lack of European Union funds under its IPARD is also affecting development of the country’s agriculture.
According to Tabaku, food imports to Albania rose 22% this year, while farmers fail to sell their produce.
“Food imports increased 20% in the summer months along, a clear indicator of government’s failed policies,” she stated, adding that the government had abandoned 300 000 farmers across the country.
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