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Korça onions are being sold below cost due to overproduction/ Stock and wheat

2024-07-22 07:34:00, Aktualitet CNA

Korça onions are being sold below cost due to overproduction/ Stock and

Illustrative photo

Driven by the increase in demand in the domestic market, also due to the high influx of tourists last year, farmers in the Korca area increased their crops for dry onions and potatoes about 30% more than last year.

Currently, the wholesale asking price for onion is up to 50% less than last year.

In the domestic market, from wholesalers, according to farmers, onions are being demanded at a price of 25 alleks per kg from 50 alleks that was sold in this period.

"The requested price is not worth it, as we are unable to cover the costs of planting. While it is noticed that compared to years the demand is lower, due to the decline of tourism and the emigration of the population", says Mikel Plasa, grower of onions and potatoes in the area of ??Korça.

Vasfi Sherifi, agronomist in the area of ??Korça, well versed in agriculture, claimed that the sale prices of onions in some cases reach up to 35 Lek per kg. According to him, even with a lower price, farmers are not able to sell a high amount of their production, due to the decrease in the flow of tourists compared to years.

Source: INSTAT

Nevion Telha says that onion production is high, including the production of the Lushnja area. Telha claims that this year there is also an increase in onion imports in the country. While the demand is lower than in years affected by emigration and tourism.

He says that if it is stored, the price of onion in the winter period increases significantly, but storage is not profitable for farmers, as they rather store potatoes.

According to INSTAT data, 117.1 thousand tons of dry onions were produced in the country for 2023. Compared to 2022, production increased by about 8%.

Based on the positive progress of last year's demand, many farmers from the beginning of March in the villages, such as: Pojan, Pirg, Zvirinë, Moglicë, Mollas, etc.

According to agronomist Nevion Telha, farmers increased crops with non-salable plants by about 30% compared to last year. Telha claimed earlier that the increase in crops was influenced by the increase in demand, according to him, mainly in the domestic market, but also for export. He said that in the month of March, the price of dry onion was 80 ALL per kg, profitable for the farmer.

Farmers expect the same trend with the release of potato production. Last year, according to INSTAT data, about 274.1 thousand tons of potatoes were produced in the country. Compared to 2022, production increased by 4.3%.

Source: INSTAT

While the sale of wheat has entered the second year of the crisis. This year the requested selling price ranges from 21 to 23 ALL per kg from 28 ALL per kg that was requested last year from 21 to 33% less than years.

Farmers raise the concern that they also have this year's wheat in stock. "I have 3,000 square meters of unsold wheat. The asking price is completely below the cost of production. I don't foresee planting any more wheat."

Agronomist Nevion Telha said that the growth of the wheat stock was influenced by the lack of demand from the milling factories, since the import price reaches 23 lek per kg. In this situation, according to him, wheat intended for bread production will be sold as animal feed.

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.

Source: INSTAT

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 scheme for granting direct subsidies. 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 fodder, industrial - potatoes, tobacco, beets, cotton, the value that will be benefited is 12,784 ALL/ha.

According to INSTAT data, the amount of wheat produced for 2023 was at the same levels as 2022./ Monitor.al