The weather has favored Albanian agricultural production this season. The warm winter enabled uninterrupted production of cucumbers, while tomatoes hit the market almost a month earlier. However, this did not translate into greater volumes of production and export. Data on foreign trade in the first four months of the year (greens representing production in greenhouses) shows an increase of only 1 percent in volume.
Most of the vegetable exports are represented by the tomato, which this year is also being introduced to the Italian markets. Producers in the municipality of Dimal, one of the areas with the highest density of greenhouses in the country, claimed that production for those who have planted has been good this year, but investments have been reduced in the last two years by rising input costs, increased burden fiscal and depopulation of the village.
A kilogram of tomatoes produced by farmers in greenhouses is sold to exporters at 70 Lek per kilogram for the best quality, while according to the categories, the prices are for 40-70 Lek per kilogram.
[ 100 Lek = €0.90 ]
Source: albaniandailynews.com