TIRANA, Oct  31 /ATA/ – By Maela Marini/ Prime Minister Edi Rama appealed to the farmers to draw up projects for increasing the capacities for collection, processing and cold storage of agricultural products in partnership with the municipalities.

In a conversation with farmers in Mollas, Erseke, Rama focused on government investments and increased attention to farmers through support schemes, dedicated exclusively to reducing production costs, increasing employment and developing the rural economy.

Prime Minister said that the municipality should enter a new phase by playing the role of a direct partner of farmers as shareholders, which is also a guarantor and stimulates the union of farmers in the enterprise.

“We want the municipalities to engage in crafting the projects and the Ministry of Agriculture will help directly through European funds or sovereign guarantee,” he said.

The Prime Minister said that he was bowled over by the rates of agriculture and export growth.

“The fact that we started with 120 million euros in exports and this year we aim to reach half a billion euros in exports shows a reality that, despite setbacks and the laggard practices inherited from the past, is changing rapidly for the better.  80% of the production was sold here, the income generation has increased, yet there is a small part that cannot access the market, because it cannot adapt to the logic of the market”, said Rama.

According to him, if the reality were not what it is, the cultivated surface of agricultural land in Albania would not be twice as high.

/sm/