Lack of products due to bad weather in the countries of the region has resulted in higher prices this year for Albanian agricultural products, but exporters are facing high losses from the exchange rate.
"Export companies are in a big crisis because of the exchange rate. Almost 30% of exporters have gone bankrupt," said Laurat Mulliqi, Chairman of the Association of Agricultural Products Exporters.
He added that farmers are paid with daily prices, while payments from subcontractors abroad are made almost 45 days late. "Here, the euro is falling day by day and from the export of goods to the collection of invoices, the losses are very high", he said. When the season started, the euro was 117 ALL, while today it is 102 ALL.
Exporters of agricultural products show that they are the most vulnerable part of the export chain and are often prey to prejudices and work in a high-risk sector, dependent on the quantities of production and its quality. Last year, the average exchange rate of the euro with the lek was 118.9 ALL, while on July 21 it was 100.9 ALL, with a downward trend.
Source: albaniandailynews.com
