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Livestock in decline, but feed imports up 15% year-on-year from pasture abandonment

Politiko 2023-09-25 12:31:39

Livestock in decline, but feed imports up 15% year-on-year from pasture

The number of livestock is decreasing rapidly from year to year, but in contrast, the expenditure of the domestic economy on the import of animal feed is also increasing.

INSTAT data show that in the 8th month of 2023, the value of animal feed imports reached 4.9 billion lek or about 47 million euros with a 10% increase compared to the same period of 2022, while the amount was 15 higher %.

Official data sources show that the number of livestock has decreased by 18% from 2020 to 2022, but imports of animal feed have increased by 60 percent in the 8th month of 2023 compared to 2020.

Livestock experts claim that the sector is undergoing a deep transition, both with the decrease in the number of heads and with the restructuring from small farms with two or three heads to medium and large farms.

The country's pastures are empty due to the bankruptcy of small rural farms of 1-3 heads, while intensive breeding is concentrated in Lushnja and Fier.

Farmers in the Fier area claimed that in recent years it has become difficult to find a food base, as lands that until recently served as pastures are now planted with agricultural crops for people. In recent years, profits in greenhouses were higher than breeding in stables. This trend led to a decrease in the number of cattle heads in the areas of Fier, Lushnja and Berat, but on the other hand, the land that served to provide the food base for the existing stables was significantly reduced.

Animals in a stable regime have high needs for food base, unlike herds with a natural regime in pastures. The concentration of livestock activity in stables is driving the increase in food imports, but also the costs for livestock.

Albania imports livestock feed from Spain and the cost of truck transport exceeds the value of the goods. Our country suffers from high fragmentation of agricultural land and this does not allow the promotion of economies of scale and the closed cycle in animal farms.

Livestock, which is the main branch of agriculture with importance in the food basket, has entered a cycle of rapid decline, making Albania one of the countries with the highest dairy prices in Europe. According to Eurostat, in 2022 Albania was ranked among the 11 countries with the highest milk price in Europe, as the data from the market are not optimistic as the decrease in the number of cattle has continued this year.

In addition to the general population facing high dairy prices, food service businesses are struggling with livestock supply shortages. So the demand from foreign tourists is increasing and the basis of Albanian cuisine is meat./Monitor