They failed with wheat, which was encouraged by subsidies/ Korca farmers return to potatoes and onions

2024-03-18 10:15:00, Aktualitet CNA

They failed with wheat, which was encouraged by subsidies/ Korca farmers return

Farmers are in the season of planting potatoes and onions. The farmers of the Korça field, satisfied this year with the sales price, have increased the crops for these crops.

From the beginning of March in villages such as: Pojan, Pirg, Zvirinë, Moglicë, Mollas, etc. according to the agronomist Nevion Telha, crops with non-salable plants have increased by 30% compared to years.

The increase in crops was influenced by the increase in demand, according to him, mainly in the domestic market, but also for export. Telha claims that currently dry onion is being sold by farmers in bulk at a price of 80 Lek per kg. According to him, the price is beneficial for farmers.

"The domestic market is hungry for potatoes and onions. The high demand in the domestic market is because this year there is no income of these crops from import, especially from Serbia or Kosovo. The price is affordable. These are commercial crops that harvest within 3 months. For these reasons, the farmers of the Korça field have grown crops. While there is no increase in planting in the hilly areas, as they are abandoned areas", he points out.

The price of potato and onion in the retail market ranges from 110 ALL per kg. Small traders claim that compared to years the prices remain the same.

Agronomist Nevion Telha does not predict an increase in the wholesale price of these products, as it is expected that the amount of production will be high. He adds that there was no unsold stock for potatoes and dry onions in the Korça area this year.

In 2022, according to INSTAT data, 108,913 tons of dry onion were produced in the country. Compared to 2021, production increased by about 1%. In the Korça district, onion production increased by about 2.5%.

They failed with wheat, which was encouraged by subsidies/ Korca farmers return

Farmers continue to orient their crops based on market demand. In the Korca area, according to Nevion Telha, for this season (wheat in the fields of Korca is planted in the months of October-November), wheat crops have decreased by 40% compared to the previous season. The reason is the price drop.

"Most of the wheat harvested last season has remained stock in farmers' houses to be used as fodder for animals. This situation was entirely caused by the sharp fall in the price of wheat. In 2022, wheat was sold for 50 Lek per kg, while currently it is demanded at a price of 28 Lek per kg. If wheat is sold at a price below 40 ALL per kg, it is below the production cost.

Due to the disruption of the food chain supply by the Russia-Ukraine war and to promote the country's food independence for wheat production, in July 2022 for the first time the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MBZHR) approved the special subsidy measure direct in the amount of 30,000 lek in support of farmers who produce over 1 ha of wheat.

Farmers received the subsidies in May 2023. Funding increased crops by about 40%, but farmers sold wheat below cost, as the price was halved compared to 2022. For this year, the wheat crop was not included in the national subsidy scheme direct.

While it will continue to be supported by the provision of oil without excise duty. This year, oil will be benefited by farmers in the form of payments. For the second group of crops, such as: wheat, oats, rye, barley), annual, industrial fodder (potatoes, tobacco, beets, cotton), the value that will be benefited is 12,784 ALL/ha./ Monitor.al