Farmers in crisis due to oil prices, agricultural production at risk

2026-04-14 13:41:00, Aktualitet CNA

Democratic Party MP Eno Bozdo has raised concerns about the situation in the agricultural sector, stating that the increase in fuel prices and the removal of the reduced diesel subsidy scheme are burdening farmers across the country.

During his speech to the Commission, Bozdo said that around 48,000 farmers previously benefited from a scheme with oil tolls, which according to him helped them cover the costs of agricultural work.

He emphasized that the removal of this scheme has created a difficult situation for farmers, who are currently facing prices of around 2,200 lek per liter of oil.

According to him, many agricultural lands are not being worked due to high costs, warning that this could lead to a decline in production in the upcoming summer and autumn seasons.

Bozdo also criticized the government's fiscal policies, arguing that the increase in fuel prices has led to an increase in VAT revenues, while calling for concrete interventions to ease the burden on farmers.

"The main argument is, you should know, as we speak, today all farmers are no longer supplied with fuel tanks according to the previous scheme. It is a scheme that a week ago, the Albanian government abolished, there were approximately 48,000 farmers who were supplied at a price, with fuel tanks at a reduced price, which helped them in one way or another. They were not enough, but it provided some help for these farmers.

So, the farmer today is faced with the dilemma of buying fuel for 2,200 ALL and doing all the spring work, or not doing anything. You should know that statistics show that 80% of the area today that should have been worked is unworked precisely because of the high cost of fuel. The expression that is most often encountered, especially in my area where I am also a member of parliament, is, I don't start my car or tractor or other land-working machines for 2,200 ALL.

So, the fact that we do not have a differentiated price for the farmer makes the situation very difficult, because our agricultural production, especially for the summer and autumn period, which is taking shape now, is really going to be in a sharp decline. As if the fact that agriculture has entered, has entered the second and a half years in a sharp decline and the manufacturing industry has entered the fifth year in a sharp decline even in absolute value, were not enough.

To conclude all of this, the discussion we are having today, following a little what the chairman of the committee said, those who were sitting here before me, who more or less had the same proposal, is not a programmatic discussion of the type that we have these taxes and you in the electoral program, come on, agree.

Of course it is also programmatic. The Democratic Party has always been the party of low taxes and there is no doubt about that. The discussion today should focus on whether we should do something concrete to deal with this crisis or not. Are we going to let this thing fall into free fall or not. And unfortunately, in all the political developments that have been happening in the last two days, it is understood that this crisis is not going to end easily.

"Countries, the globe, even if the conflict ends tomorrow, which is unlikely, will not result in the full recovery of transportation logistics and oil production logistics within a month," Bozdo said./ CNA