Kledis, a farmer from the village of Bitinckë in Korça, says that “Fuji is the variety of apple that has a large share of market, as it lasts longer, has a unique aroma and taste and is highly sought- after by exports.”

Given the trend of market, he said, they started cultivating this crop on their plantations along with gold and starking apples.

ARDA Director, Frida Krifca, shared the example of the young man from Korça, who has turned agriculture into his main job and passion.

“ Kledis who is a financier by profession has been in this business for around 6 years under the stewardship of his father who has dealt with cultivation of apple trees like many in this area,” Krifca.

“They started off with 4.7 ha of cropland, while today they run around 10.4 ha. They were supported by ARDA as part of IPARD II program, benefiting agricultural machinery, tractor as well as anti-hail networking, a necessary asset to protect the crops from hail,” Krifca says adding that they are more certain and protected to develop further.
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