Sali Berisha today presented the program of the Alliance for a Greater Albania, where the main pillar according to him will be Made in Albania products. The chief democrat warned of the exit from the Open Balkans, which according to him has brought about the bankruptcy of thousands of farmers.
"Made in Albania, the main pillar of Greater Albania, requires a developed agriculture and successful Albanian farmers. Agriculture in Albania has experienced a major decline in the past 12 years. With the signing of the Open Balkans, thousands of farms in Albania have gone bankrupt. Agricultural and livestock production has experienced a dramatic decline. The number of livestock heads has decreased by 62 percent compared to 2013. Today, 80 percent of agricultural and livestock products in the Albanian market come from exports. Agriculture, which employs about half a million Albanians and provides 19 percent of the Gross Domestic Product, receives from the budget a support of 0.19 percent of GDP. So, several times less than the countries of the region, and unlike these countries, most of the funds foreseen in the budget for agriculture do not go to farmers, but are spent on the administration. Our program for Greater Albania in agriculture is based on Made in Albania, the great increase in agricultural and livestock production, the support of "powerful for farmers and their success."
The 17 points of the DP program for agriculture:
To achieve this goal, the coalition government of the DP and the Alliance for a Greater Albania will:
-Subsidize farmers for each production unit, head of livestock and seedlings purchased and increase for this purpose the direct subsidy fund for farmers from 0.5 percent of budget expenditures, or 31 million, which is de facto, to 3.5 percent, which is the average level for the region.
-Seasonal protection of agricultural products.
-Immediate exit from the Open Balkans that is destroying Albanian agricultural and livestock production and the implementation of all obligations arising from the Berlin Process and the European integration process.
-The ID card will be the farmer's NIPT, direct support, subsidy for entrepreneurs in the field of agriculture, where each farmer will be identified with a NIPT.
-VAT in the agricultural processing sector will be the same for sales and purchases, so the money will go directly to the farmer and not to the wholesaler.
-Oil will be subsidized up to cost level.
-Special support without restrictions for farmers in priority areas of agriculture, determined by the government, export areas, livestock, fruit growing and agro-processing.
-Subsidizing interest rates up to 80 percent for bank loans in the agricultural sector. This intervention is urgent to increase the injection of money into this sector.
-The development of agricultural infrastructure will be supported by substantial investments, especially in irrigation and drainage, where an amount of around 70 million dollars will be invested each year with the aim of doubling the irrigated area in four years.
-Creating a market research agency to study the domestic and foreign market and provide macro guidance for Albanian farmers on what and how much to plant. This will greatly alleviate crises created by stocks.
-Support with grants and soft loans to farmers and agro-processing companies for the introduction of new technologies in the production and processing of agricultural products, automation, digitalization, purchase of tractors and other equipment.
-Financial compensation at a floor price for production stock caused by severe market disruptions and incentives for the establishment of the agri-food industry to absorb this stock and avoid the destruction of these products. This is an effective way to avoid the bankruptcy of farmers and the abandonment of rural areas.
-Free state testing of agricultural land and its irrigation wells.
-Guarantee and monitoring of the quality of agricultural inputs through accredited laboratories.
-Increasing food safety through strengthening responsible institutions, introducing surveillance systems according to EU standards, fundamentally reviewing the legal framework for market abusers who harm consumer health.
-Increasing state laboratory capacities with the aim of eliminating abusive practices in conducting analyses by private laboratories.
-Establishing infrastructure for conducting official controls at border inspection points, as the current lack of quarantine and refrigeration facilities directly compromises the safety of imported food products.
Rural development will be another major priority of our program for rural Albania, where Albania's infrastructure will be modernized to the same extent as that of countries in the region.
So, dear farmers, this was the program with which we believe we return to the fields, to the greenhouses, to your herds, to your orchards as pride for you, national pride. (A2 Televizion)
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