TIRANA, February 17/ATA/ Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Andis Salla signed today cooperation agreements with the municipalities of Shkodra, Tropoja, Malësi e Madhe, Puka, Fushë-Arrëz and Vau i Dejës, for implementation of the biological control program for the chestnut pest.
Attending the event were Minister of State for Local Government Ervin Demo as well as representatives of the FAO.
The agreement formalizes the cooperation between the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the local government for implementation of the project, “Improving sustainable chestnut production in Albania through biological control of insect pests”, defining the institutional framework for the protection and development of this sector.
“We are building a new model of cooperation between the central government and the local government to protect an asset such as the chestnut forests, which today extend to about 10 thousand hectares and constitute an important source of income for the northern areas”, said Minister Salla.
This cooperation is developed within the framework of the FAO global initiative “One Country, One Priority Product” (OCOP), which aims to promote agricultural products of strategic value and strengthen sustainable rural development. /m.m/r.e/a.f/p.s./
