Many farmers in Albania are setting up small farms near national road segments to market their produce mainly to local and foreign tourists. According to economic experts, the local agricultural and livestock sectors are supporting the tourism sector this year, not at the expected level, because imported products prevail.
On an area of almost five dynami in the segment of the new road Kardhiq – Delvinë, Bajram Duro has set up a small farm for the production of fruits and vegetables where tourists do not line up all day long.
“When the land was divided after the overthrow of communism, no one took it because there was no water, I took it and it is my fate now,” says Bajrami.
“When the lands were divided, no one came out to take this land because they wanted it under water so that they could be irrigated. There was no water here. I even said that I will take it. With the thought that if I fail to cultivate the land with vegetables, I have the surrounding forest and I would take some sheep and goats to help the family so that I wouldn't be lost at all. However, I was successful, my fate and that of the family”, he tells the Voice of America.
Bajrami's family has been producing vegetables for 33 years, but in the last two years, with the completion of the Kardhiq Delvinë road, this small farm began to grow and host visitors.
“We have been dealing with vegetables as a family for 33 years. We have also done other jobs when we didn't have jobs, but we mainly deal with selling vegetables,” he says.
This year, he says, Eid didn't start well, but then the release of fruits and vegetables on the market brought the interest of tourists.
“We have been producing and selling here for two years. Before there was no road and there were rare passers-by or horses. This year did not start well because we opened the season ahead of time with green onions and garlic and soft cabbages that they are mainly planted, but it did not attract many people. Now that the vegetables and fruits have come out and many vacationers come to Saranda, there is great interest,” he says.
Tourists from North Macedonia and Kosovo are Bajram's favorite customers as they buy in large quantities, while tourists from some western countries, as he says, “buy in bulk”.
“Tourists from Kosovo and Macedonia buy a lot. Locals also come back here, while foreign tourists from Western countries such as French, Italian, English do weaker trade. They buy two peppers, an eggplant, a tomato.”
Bajrami says he does not use pesticides and tourists can enjoy picking the produce even though it brings him losses due to insect damage.
“We don't use pesticides and we have a big loss. As you can see, the people themselves go in, pick and eat some of the produce in the branches. If I use poison, I might have some left there. How long will someone come and stone me kill) better let 10 quintals of tomatoes be thrown away”, he says.
Bajrami says that agriculture is very difficult in Albania as it does not enjoy support with subsidies from the state and when asked how many hours a day he works, he answers:
“We work very hard. Let's not sleep at night, let alone during the day. 24 hours at work as a family, if the dog barks, we are ready.”
Bajrami has preserved the seeds of vegetables and fruits that were used since the years during the communalization in Albania, but says that they are going towards degradation.
“I only wanted them to help me with the seeds. I have saved the seeds since the time of socialism, of the cooperative. Those countries are on the way to degradation because other seeds have been introduced and the bees now make them neither gentle nor wild through pollination”, he says he.
Cucumber and tomato are the most demanded in the small farm.
“If I have another ton a day, they are sold,” says Bajrami.
According to economic experts, while tourist flows are increasing significantly in Albania, the local agricultural and livestock sector is not playing the expected role in supporting this sector.
This is because the domestic production of vegetables and fruits is significantly competed by imports.
According to official data, vegetable imports for the first 6 months of this year have increased by 43.5%, while fruit imports have increased by 31.1% compared to the same period a year ago.
Another problem small farmers say is the difficulty of penetrating the local market due to transportation costs.
The Competition Authority in Albania put under investigation in the middle of this year dozens of collectors in several large regions of the country such as Tirana, Elbasan and Fier after abusing the prices of fruits and vegetables by making them more expensive by up to 100% compared to the prices they received from farmers .
