The agricultural crisis in the southeast/ The voice of a disappointed farmer for CNA

2025-02-13 17:18:00, Sociale CNA

The agricultural crisis in the southeast/ The voice of a disappointed farmer for

Agriculture in the southeast of the country is facing a deep crisis, which has driven farmers to despair and bankruptcy. Despite the large investments they make every year, the lack of a market for their products and strong competition from imports have left many of them without any profit.

Pëllumb Kazaferi, a farmer with 33 years of experience in agriculture, expressed his great disappointment to CNA, saying that this year he has not been able to sell his produce. He and his family have invested millions of lek in planting and maintaining the crops, but the lack of buyers has forced them to throw hundreds of quintals of onions into the river.

"25 million lek have been thrown away, we have received nothing. We do not count our work at all, because if we count it ourselves it is 50 million. There are 700 quintals of onions, 300-400 quintals we have left in the field and are now throwing them into the river. We have been keeping them here for 6 months, no trader has asked us. They have only had us to vote, our whole lives. What is happening like this? I barely kept the children, because they did not want to stay. We have the children for ourselves, not to run away and serve around the world. What can we say? No help at all! The children worked, we threw away all the lek, now we have gone into debt. The time has come to plant again, we have planted."

The lack of support from the state is another factor that has worsened the situation. The farmer says that he used to have economic assistance, but now that too has been cut off, leaving him without any support. As debts grow and the situation becomes increasingly difficult, he and many other farmers discuss leaving the country every day.

"We are completely bankrupt, I have neither a cow nor a sheep, an economic aid that I had was taken away from me. The state cannot help us. There are eight here to help but we suffered extremely badly by throwing them all away. We load the tractor and throw them away. They have put us in an extremely bad situation. We don't know what to do! We have given up on the state since it has left us, we have also given up on politics. If you don't give me, go away, don't come back at all."

In this difficult reality, the disappointment with the institutions is great. Today, he and many other farmers feel abandoned. For years, he has watched the price of agricultural products fall, while the market is flooded with imported goods from Serbia, Macedonia and Kosovo, which Albanian farmers cannot compete with.

"Kam 33 vite si fermer. Më keq se sivjet nuk kemi parë asnjëherë, ne i kemi shitur me 170- 200 lek të vjetra para 10 viteve kurse sivjet nuk erdhi asnjë tregtar. Ka hyrë mall nga jashtë, nuk e konkurojmë dot ne serbin. E bëjme dot ne me Serbinë, Maqedoninë, Kosovën? Vjet morëm njady lek dhe e bëmë bujqësinë si puna e kumarit. Morëm 10 milion lek vjet hodhëm e 10 milion të tjera sivjet, i lamë të tëra. Mbahen kështu fëmijët? Debate çdo natë në familje se diskurojmë për të ikur nga ky vend."

Nëse nuk merren masa të menjëhershme për të garantuar një treg të qëndrueshëm dhe për të mbështetur prodhimin vendas, bujqësia shqiptare rrezikon të zbrazet nga fermerët, ndërsa fshatrat e juglindjes do të boshatisen gjithnjë e më shumë./CNA