Albania is the most agriculturally diverse country in the region and Europe, but we import more food than anyone else. Although estimates vary from year to year, agriculture is expected to contribute 21.8 percent to finance and total national production, which is twice as much as Northern Macedonia and seven times more than the average of European Union countries.
“Agricultural has natural and technological comparative advantages.” “We are in a very excellent geographical situation, Albania is located in the Mediterranean, but from a technological standpoint, Albania is categorized as a developing country with minimal, to say the least, investment in agriculture,” explains expert Maksim Meço.
Despite having the largest agricultural contribution, Albania is more reliant on food imports than any other country in the European Union. Last year, 130 billion ALL of food was imported, which was three times more than was exported. According to INSTAT data, wheat imports accounted for over ALL 12 billion, or 10% of overall imports.
“Without establishing the conditions for Albania to discover advantages,” says agricultural specialist Maksim Meço. “If we withdraw from the milk and grain imported from Serbia, what are our products that can reach the Serbian market?”