TIRANA, Jan  13 /ATA/ On the second and last day of his visit to Albania, FAO Director General QU Dongyu met with shareholder farmers and experts from the Agricultural University of Tirana.

The General Director was received by Rector Fatbardh Sallaku, who accompanied him on a tour of the University premises, including an agro-tourism facility, a soil and water testing laboratory and a wastewater monitoring laboratory.

FAO and the Agricultural University of Tirana have cooperated in various fields for many years and are currently working together for the conservation of plant genetic resources. The rector expressed his wish for the expansion of the partnership, among other things, for the conservation of animal genetic resources.

The FAO Director-General expressed his organization’s interest in strengthening science, innovation and partnerships. He also noted that the University can become an important platform for dialogue and exchange of knowledge for the transformation of Albania’s agri-food system.

The untapped potential of Albania’s coastline is also a key element, QU said.

The FAO delegation also visited the Uka farm near Tirana, run by father and son, which applies sustainable practices paying special attention to biodiversity.

A visit to a livestock farm provided an overview of women agro-entrepreneurs.

The Director General of FAO concluded his field trip at the agritourism “Mrizi i Zanave”, which is run by agro-entrepreneur and chef Altin Prenga. FAO has provided training in the region and hygiene packages for milk production to 21 smallholder farmers, who send their produce to the agro-tourism farm.

Director General QU also expressed his appreciation to a group of local farmers who had gathered at the agritourism premises.

/sm/