TIRANA, March  13 /ATA/ Greenhouse production has already become a profitable trend for farmers across the country.

In addition to the growing of traditional vegetables, such as tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, etc., the cultivation of various fruit crops in greenhouses, but also of traditional field plants, such as lettuce, onion and spinach, is expanding.

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Frida Krifca, in the feature “People of Agriculture” featuring 365 stories of Albanian producers, shared the example of Urim Seferi from Melgush, Shkodër, who has chosen to grow lettuce and spinach in his greenhouses.

The 47-year-old from Shkodra shows his connection with agriculture, saying that, “with agriculture you live and earn a living, but of course it takes a lot of hard work.”

He says that, “I have about 0,2 ha of greenhouses planted with lettuce and spinach, I also planted leeks in the field. Making a living  out of the agriculture is possible. There are problems, of course, but there is also profit. This is my trade, I don’t want to do anything else”.

In recent years, investments in this sector have been channeled into innovations and applied technologies that ensure increased production yield according to the best standards and competitive products inside and outside the country, throughout the year.

Farmers have significantly increased the areas with greenhouses, thanks also to subsidies from two measures of the National Agricultural Support Scheme that address direct payments, for agricultural input receipts and financing 50% of the investment value in greenhouses.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development announces that vegetable growing in greenhouses accounts for over 25% of the total domestic agricultural production, where a significant part of this production is exported.

/sm/