
Flash News
Veliaj appeals the measure of "prison arrest" in the Appeals Court of Appeals
Economic Program 2025-2029/ Berisha: We will do everything to return taxes to citizens
Rama: We do not accept refugees from Palestine, we are a small country
38-year-old arrested in Lezha, accused of theft and child abuse
Erion Veliaj is suspected of giving a building permit for a palace to the Ajola tribe
VOA: The impact of emigration on the labor force in Malësia e Madhe
In Malësia e Madhe, the phenomenon of family emigration is affecting the decline of the workforce and the economy of the area. As reported by Voice of America correspondent Pëllumb Sulo, the difficulties of economic conditions, but also of living conditions, continue to encourage families to leave this area. According to population census data, from 2011 to the end of 2023, about half of the families from the 5 administrative units of Malësia e Madhe have left.
On the side of the national road that runs through the municipality of Malësi e Madhe, travelers come across a sign indicating that farmers in this area are in need of labor. Vlash Linadi, who works for the organization “Vis Albania,” says that the emigration of families from Malësi e Madhe has influenced the economic and social development of this area.
"The main problem is that our Malësia is disintegrating, it is disintegrating in the sense of people leaving the country. And the extent is alarming, it is perhaps in the figures that we are concerned because it is approaching 50 percent."
From the 2011 population and housing census to the last census of 2023, 15,360 residents have left Malësia e Madhe, mainly through emigration, approximately half of the population registered in this municipality in 2011. Mr. Vlashi says that families from Malësia e Madhe mainly emigrate to England and America and that government policies have also influenced this situation.
"If we take the Cem River, it has a large number of distributed hydroelectric power plants, but this region suffers from electricity. Perhaps it would be better if these hydroelectric power plants were not connected to the central energy system, but functioned as local administration. Perhaps this is why residents continue to emigrate, because energy is one of the main elements for living," says Mr. Vlashi.
Malësia e Madhe, with its 5 administrative units, is a municipality with rich historical and cultural traditions, with sufficient natural and tourist resources such as Vermoshi, Lëpusha, Razma or Boga, as well as three border crossings with Montenegro. But emigration is slowly depleting the area's workforce. Entrepreneur Paulin Doda, from the village of Pjetërshan in Malësia e Madhe, says that over the past two years the significant decline of the euro and the lack of workers have greatly damaged his business. After ten years of working abroad, he has set up his own businesses in his homeland, processing wood and aggregates for export.
"The problem is the lack of workers. An extreme problem. I have thought about making a request to the Ministry of Labor to have 15-20 workers coming from abroad. Qualified workers, because we need qualified workers. And, day by day I am thinking about making this request to have workers, creating the conditions according to the law," says Mr. Doda.
In the villages of Malësia e Madhe, more than 3,000 hectares of land are cultivated with medicinal plants, mainly sage. Almost all families in Malësia are involved in the cultivation of these plants that are exported to the USA. According to agricultural specialist Ramadan Mema, about 85 percent of Albania's medicinal plant exports come from Malësia e Madhe. But in recent years, farmers have been facing a lack of sales markets.
"The main problem is the blockage of the medicinal plant market. The selling price offered today is half a dollar or 70 cents per kilogram, while the cost of producing sage is approximately 80 cents per kilogram," says Mr. Mema.
In an effort to secure a better living, many mountain families, says specialist Mema, continue to leave Malësia e Madhe.
"This is a continuation of depopulation. As the depopulation of the Highlands continues, there has also been a shortage of labor and a decline in the number of livestock. This is an extremely big problem," he says.
Experts say that the flow of families leaving Malësia e Madhe can be curbed with better governance policies in the field of development and exploitation of the area's numerous natural resources./VOA
Latest news


Veliaj appeals the measure of "prison arrest" in the Appeals Court of Appeals
2025-02-16 12:35:15

Van Orden: What happened in Ukraine was a wake-up call
2025-02-16 11:54:42

Meta seeks freedom, Supreme Court to decide on February 27
2025-02-16 11:22:25
Berisha releases statistics: Here's why Edi Censori will close Tik Tok
2025-02-16 10:57:45

Rama: We do not accept refugees from Palestine, we are a small country
2025-02-16 10:10:50
Trump to send team to Saudi Arabia for Ukraine-Russia talks
2025-02-16 09:58:18
38-year-old arrested in Lezha, accused of theft and child abuse
2025-02-16 09:41:00
Olly fiton Sanremo 2025 me 'Balorda Nostalgia'
2025-02-16 09:25:12

Foreign exchange, February 16, 2025
2025-02-16 08:56:30
Who is fanning the flames?
2025-02-16 08:48:02
Horoscope, what do the stars have in store for you?
2025-02-16 08:36:27
Weather forecast, how temperatures will continue throughout the day
2025-02-16 08:19:47
Morning Post/ In 2 lines: What mattered yesterday in Albania
2025-02-16 08:05:47
Europe will not be part of Russia-Ukraine peace talks, US envoy says
2025-02-15 21:56:18
For Lali's laros and portals
2025-02-15 21:28:52
In the place where the government protests
2025-02-15 21:14:42


Macedonian authorities arrest a person from Kosovo at the request of Serbia
2025-02-15 20:26:17









Businessman financed Veliaj's 'luxury' trip to secure construction permit
2025-02-15 16:39:43
Scholz harsh with the US vice president: I categorically reject his positions
2025-02-15 16:18:59
Will he run for Tirana Mayor? Tabaku: My battle is elsewhere
2025-02-15 15:54:08
Bus accident in Kosovo, 17 injured
2025-02-15 15:30:19




Arrestohet taksisti që shpërndante kokainë në Tiranë
2025-02-15 14:02:54
EU payments to Western Balkan countries delayed
2025-02-15 13:19:05



Fier: Arrestohet 67-vjeçari për mashtrim, shiti të njëjtin apartament dy herë
2025-02-15 12:15:28
REL: Hamasi i liron tri pengje izraelite, teksa armëpushimi në Gazë vazhdon
2025-02-15 11:52:14



Hovenier: Kosovo and Serbia did not take their obligations seriously!
2025-02-15 10:45:22


Albanian sentenced to 11 years in prison in Crete for gang rape and theft
2025-02-15 09:51:02
Trump-Putin talk marks turning point in Ukraine war, peace negotiations open
2025-02-15 09:23:33
The economy of digital romance, nearly 100 thousand Albanians are Tinder users
2025-02-15 09:12:25
Cloudy and occasional rain, weather for today
2025-02-15 09:00:43



Morning Post/ In 2 lines: What mattered yesterday in Albania
2025-02-15 08:02:48
Media: LaCivita asked the Trump administration if it should come to Tirana
2025-02-14 22:55:12
Vance compares European leaders to Cold War tyrants
2025-02-14 22:33:28





Amortized electricity grid endangers residents of Gjadrit
2025-02-14 21:12:57

European diplomacy chief announces new approach to Kosovo-Serbia dialogue
2025-02-14 20:52:56

He tried to avoid prison with false identity, Albanian arrested in Germany
2025-02-14 20:16:54
Thousands of federal workers lose jobs, more jobs expected to continue
2025-02-14 19:54:21
An explanation for the "Keneta Owl" and a piece of advice for Mr. Prime Minister
2025-02-14 19:42:06
VOA: The fight against organized crime assets in Albania faces obstacles
2025-02-14 19:17:48


SHELL leaves Albania/ Sovereign Fund with Shpiragu remained a dream for Rama
2025-02-14 18:52:51
Analysis: Protesters in Serbia turn tragedy into movement for change
2025-02-14 18:33:45

Këlliçi: Edi Rama will be sent to the US to serve his sentence with McGonigal
2025-02-14 18:12:42

Child diagnosed with dysentery, kindergarten in Laç closed
2025-02-14 17:57:45


GJKKO rejects Altin Kodra's request, remains in the special "41-bis" regime
2025-02-14 17:23:32



Zelensky warns: Russia could attack a NATO country early next year
2025-02-14 16:41:41
Two brothers arrested after raping a police officer in Pogradec
2025-02-14 16:29:24

Dibër Regional Hospital director dismissed for raping finance chief
2025-02-14 16:04:47
The Economist: What happened next with USAID
2025-02-14 15:50:56

Thousands of US government employees on probation to be laid off
2025-02-14 15:36:11
Korça/ Police officer raped, 2 people arrested
2025-02-14 15:28:48