Speaking at a parliamentary hearing of the Committee on Economy, Employment and Finance, Gentian Lala of the Cattle Breeders’ Association said their concerns have gone unaddressed for over two years. He added that 50-60% of milk in the country is sold without invoices, which allows processing factories to exploit farmers and drives unfair pricing.

Lala said the current VAT system does not recognize farmers’ purchases, forcing them to buy imported feed instead of using domestic products. He added that if farmers cannot reclaim VAT, so many are forced to buy cheaper imports instead.

Farmers also raised concerns over imports of powdered and fresh milk from regional countries and the EU, which they said depress domestic milk prices. Legal restrictions have also prevented Albania from exporting fresh milk, even when there was demand from Italy.

They noted that hundreds of farmers have yet to receive fuel and livestock subsidies, and called for solutions for farms at risk of losing support due to delays by local municipalities in issuing construction permits.

Lawmakers from both ruling and opposition parties voiced support. Socialist Party MP Erion Braçe said farmers’ proposals cost nothing to the budget and criticized the Ministry of Agriculture for inaction. Democratic Party lawmaker Enno Bozdo described the situation as a systemic problem requiring a clear commission agenda.

/j.p/u.sh/

Minister of Agriculture Anila Denaj stated that the government will provide more support for the livestock sector and the by-products through direct funding of 207 thousand livestock farms in the country and free of charge veterinary service.

“Through a certain cooperative of the operators and increased direct support we aim to improve livestock techniques while guaranteeing higher standards and values. We cannot manage to be competitive through small farms. We should ensure the interests of the stockbreeders and the same protocol in treatment so that to have a guaranteed quality of the raw material”, said she.

Formalization and respect of the contracts, emphasized the minister, is another issue in function of development of the livestock. The government policies focus on establishing a link between the interests of the processors with the stockbreeders./p.s./

Agriculture Minister responded to the opposition lawmakers at parliament session about the possible impact of the amendments to the national taxes on the domestic production.

Krifca also said that the country imported 1000 tonnes of whey in 2022.

Agriculture Minister released data on the exchanges with Serbia.

“In 2011, Albania exported one and imported 12.4 units from Serbia. In 2022, the export-import gap has narrowed, with imports pursuing a downward trend, as we export one and import 1.4 units. No comparison can be drawn. We are talking about two different approaches regarding the relations and development of this sector,” she added.

/r.e/u.sh/

Speaking during an event with livestock farmers and relevant actors, which took place in the premises of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, on the World Milk Day, Minister Krifca made an overview of the developments in this sector, first highlighting the significance of milk for consumption and in the agricultural economy.

Also, the minister said, milk is an important product for the economic income in the village and the general production of agriculture.

Krifca said that, “Of the four products of the territory that we recently certified as “Made in Albania”, 3 of them are products related to processed milk, namely Mishavina cheese of Kelmendi highlands, melted cheese of Malësi e Madhe, and Goat Cheese of Runja highlands in Dibra”.

“It is precisely these products that build the agro-tourism offer of the Albanian rural area, where milk and its by-products have a primary role in bringing to life the vision that we have for rural areas”, the minister emphasized.

Krifca said that the sector is in an important moment of restructuring where small livestock farms with one or two cows are giving way to farms with more than 10 heads.

The minister expressed the government’s commitment to increase support for livestock and livestock farmers with grants and training.

During this forum dedicated to milk production in the country and the livestock sector, livestock farmers and entrepreneurs operating in this field took the floor. They market their experiences in the profession they have chosen to work with passion and desire, although they have studied in other fields, believing in the business they have set up and is developing as the demand of the time./p.s./

The Competition Authority said in a press release that taking notice of the media reports over an announcement by the enterprises producing milk and dairy processed by-products that they will increase the retail price of these products by 37% starting on February 15, the Authority decided to set up working team to monitor the market.

The Authority will monitor the market to prevent any price speculation according to the law to prevent any concerted practices between two or more undertakings, and decisions or recommendations of associations of undertakings which have, as their object or effect, the prevention, restriction or distortion of competition in the Albanian market.

/j.p/u.sh/

Deputy Minister of Finance and Economy Vasilika Vjero said that, “The first measure we have proposed in this law is the imposition of a tax of 100 ALL / kg for import.”

This proposal, she continued, aims to further incentivize domestic production and its processing, in conditions when this sector needs to be further developed.

“Based on the database, it turns out that only 11% of milk production goes to be processed. While we have noticed that there is an increase by 2.5 times, compared to several years ago, of the import of powdered milk “, said Vjero, as she announced that, from the import of 1 thousand tons of powdered milk per year, the tax with 100 lek / kg, will generate revenues of over 100 million ALL per year ”.

Vjero said that, “The second measure has to do with imposition of a tax of 65 ALL / liter, for the fuel used by the vessels, which come for tourist purposes in our country”.

“By increasing the current price of fuel and the tax of 65 lek / liter, these tourist boats that visit our country, will pay about 137-140 lek / liter. There were about 20 thousand tons of fuel taxed so far in the budget. While with the increased taxation, the revenues in the state budget are predicted to increase to 1.3 billion ALL”, stated Vjero./j.p/r.e/p.s./

The Executive Director of the association Joana Arapi raised some of the concerns that this industry faces during the exercise of their activity such as informality, unfair competition of imported products, the temporary inability to export to the region and the EU.

They also demanded a reduction of the VAT rate on agriculture to 6%.

The minister emphasized that she will continue the dialogue with the representatives of this industry to address solutions of these problems.

INSTAT recently published the report on livestock during 2020.

According to INSTAT, milk production in 2020 is 1.05 million tons, marking a decrease of 5.39%, compared to 2019.

In 2020, milk production from cows is 897,349 tons, or 5.20% less, compared to 2019. The average annual milk yield at the national level in 2020 is 3,028 kg per head increasing by 1.56%, compared to 2019.

Milk production from sheep, during 2020, has decreased by 8.60%, compared to 2019. The average annual yield at the country level of sheep milk is 65 kg per head, marking an increase of 2.88%, compared to 2019.

Goat milk production in 2020 is 4.49% lower than last year. The average annual yield of goat milk at the national level is about 126 kg per head, marking a decrease of 0.28%, compared to 2019. /j.p/p.s./

“As one of the first milk processing companies in the country,” Erzeni “offers the consumer a wide range of quality products”, said Ekonomi.

During the conversation with the entrepreneur of this factory, Ekonomi got to know that various visitors and agricultural experts who have visited this company, have seen closely the investment according to the best standards realized here and the qualified work of the staff that carefully follows every work step, until final production.

Ekonomi praised the high degree of industrialization in this factory, which has started the first steps of production with manual labor, while today the production processes go through high-tech machinery.

In addition to dairy products, this factory has also invested in the production of plastic bottles, or packaging, ensuring the closed production cycle according to the best standards.

“We have got factory models in the Netherlands and Italy. In our country, the milk comes from the farmer and is not affected by the workers, so that it is not contaminated and passes through the processing lines until the final product that goes to the consumer “- said the representative of the factory.

He explained that the raw material, milk, is collected from all farmers in the area who have over 5 cows. We take the milk to the collection centers, after we perform the analyzes for food safety, in order to bring to the market a guaranteed product.

In addition to the 30 products produced by this factory, sugar-free fruit yogurt is the newest product that meets with European standards. /a.a/p.s./

During her visit to this complex, ARDA Director Frida Krifca said that “When we see such a farm, we would think in which European country we are. But, we are in Shkodra in the area of ​​Vau i Dejës, where Hysniu who has dedicated his life to veterinary medicine, manages to surprise us with his investment”.

The recently established farm with the support of ARDA through IPARD has a capacity of 100 heads of cattle.

Built according to European standards, the space required for cows is completely open in one of the side walls to allow air to enter the cattle and thus help them be more productive.

“This is one of the stories that inspires us to move forward with the support of rural development,” said Krifca.

While Ibrahimaj said that cows can withstand temperatures down to -6 degrees Celsius. Therefore, the investment it has undertaken meets all the technical and scientific criteria for the protection of cows’ health, increasing their well-being and the milk yield it receives from them.

ARDA said that, through the IPARD program, 262 contracts have been committed and over 100 million Euros have been injected in farm investments, processing and diversification of the farm, of which more than 45 million Euros are free grants that have helped the development of 24 modern livestock farms, 30 ha of new modern greenhouses, 18 planting projects rendered into hundreds of new hectares, 8 investments for milking systems, 38 processing lines, selection, packaging, 28 collection facilities, 19 large refrigeration investments and storage capacities, 5 new slaughterhouses, 72 investments in tractors and agricultural machinery./p.s./

Prime Minister Edi Rama shared today in the social media the story of Tafil Kasapi, 32 years old, who after completing his higher studies in Veterinary Medicine returned to his father’s livestock farm to continue his profession in the family business and with the aim of increasing production to 10 tons milk per day.

“After I finished my higher studies for veterinary medicine in Kamza, I started work on breeding cattle for milk. We have a livestock farm consisting of 300 dairy cattle. We produce about 35 quintal of milk a day,” said Kasapi.

He also said that he is associated with milk processors, who come and take every morning the milk by tanker.

Showing how he started this business, Kasapi said that, “We started in 1994-1995 and now we have 300 heads”.

“Our goal is 600 heads and to produce about 10 thousand tons of milk per day. From my experience as a veterinarian, I think that livestock is worth working in your country, to deal with livestock, because at the end of the day one enjoys a family and spiritual peace”, – said Kasapi./k.s/p.s./