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Agriculture Program, Berisha: State support for farmers 3-5 times smaller than the region

Politiko 2025-02-05 18:09:06

Agriculture Program, Berisha: State support for farmers 3-5 times smaller than

The leader of the Democratic Party, Sali Berisha, during the presentation of the government program for the years 2025-2029, together with experts in the field and with the support of the German CDU foundation, 'Konrad Adeanuer' criticized the government for very low support for Albanian farmers, emphasizing that the aid is 3-5 times smaller than in the region. Berisha accused the government of misusing IPARD funds, which were supposed to go to agriculture, but were used by the ruling clans. He emphasized the decline in agricultural production and the increase in food prices, calling for urgent intervention to save this sector and increase production.

Berisha : The Democratic Party sees in agriculture a very great potential to change the lives of Albanians. The impact of the degradation of our agriculture has had very serious consequences, not only for thousands and thousands of farms and farmers who went bankrupt, but it has been for all citizens.
If you compare egg production, milk production, meat production with 2013, the decline is catastrophic. Even if you compare it with 2018, the last 3 years have been years that Albania has known the most massive slaughter and reduction of heads, calves and cattle in this country. The number of purebred cows has more than halved. The number of calves has dropped to 30-40%. There is no longer talk about its extraordinary potential in fruit growing. The aid given to agriculture, its budget is ridiculous. In total, de facto, 70 million euros are allocated, but 40 are taken by thieves.

Because if in Serbia, Macedonia, or Kosovo 70-80% of the agricultural fund ends up with the farmer, in Albania 55% ends up in the pockets of the civil servant, the administration.

IPARD, which was an important source of funding, very important, was seized like a kennel by ministers, drug clans and traffickers, and instead of going to the farmer to be used for the processing industry, it was used to support bandits and government officials, for hotels on the coast, and so on.
The farmer is left to his fate today.

His support from the state is 3-5 times smaller than in Kosovo, and if we add to this the IPARD that was taken away, as a result of the theft of Edi Rama and his minions, I say to Edi Rama, that that lady thief, she is an advisor. Instead of going where she belongs, for the massive misuse of IPARD funds, she is an advisor to Edi Rama.

So, the farmer has the alternative of bankruptcy. If you look at their pensions, people who have sweated and done the hardest work, the work of a farmer is the hardest work, from their early youth until today, receive a pension of 100-120 euros, and they don't receive it.

All of these are alarm bells that prove that we are dealing with an emergency situation in the field of agriculture in Albania. A comprehensive intervention is required in this sector, as the potential of this sector is absolutely several times greater than what we receive today.

Every Albanian today buys food in the store at a higher price than an Italian, higher than a Greek, higher than a German, and dear friends, if you look at the latest INSTAT study on prices in Albania, what did it find? It found
that, in the years 2010-2011, prices in Albania, in relation to prices in the EU, were decreasing, because production was increasing, simply because agricultural and livestock production was increasing.

Whereas, in the years of poverty they move upwards vertically. About half a million Albanians are employed in the countryside. So, agriculture is the largest employment sector and again the word 'agriculture' has almost disappeared from the state vocabulary.

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