Albania ranks seventh in Europe for oranges production in 2018. This data was revealed in a recent Eurostat report, according to which 300 hectares of oranges were cultivated in Albania in 2018, a 50 percent increase over the area compared to 2017, with production reaching 10,800 tons, an increase of almost 20 percent.
The significant growth in acreage in 2018 is an indication that production may increase further in the years to come when new seedlings start producing. In Europe there are only 10 countries that produce oranges due to their favorable climate. In 2018, Albania turns out to have produced more oranges than France, the latter having produced about 10,000 tons of oranges.
According to Eurostat, European Union Member States harvested 6.5 million tons of oranges in 2018. This was the highest level of production since 2010 and was supported by the record harvest in Spain (3.6 million tons of oranges, or 56 percent of the total). Besides Spain, the other main producing countries were Italy (1.6 million tons, or 24 percent of the EU total) and Greece (0.9 million tons, or 14 percent of the EU total).
Regarding the non-EU member states, the only ones producing orange are Albania and Turkey, the latter having produced 1.9 million tons in 2018, which is actually ranked second in Europe, after Spain. Moreover, according to Eurostat, about three-quarters of oranges imported into the EU came from South Africa and Egypt.
Source: albaniandailynews.com
