Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has sharply criticized the country’s insufficient agro-processing infrastructure, calling the current number of facilities “ridiculously low” and unacceptable for meeting European Union standards.
Speaking during a listening session with farmers in Divjakë, Rama stressed that the lack of adequate processing factories for agricultural products not only hampers the development of the sector but also poses a serious obstacle to Albania’s EU accession process.
Rama said compliance with strict EU food safety criteria is essential, explaining that if these standards are not met, Albanian produce could be blocked from being sold both in European markets and domestically.
To address this gap, the government has allocated €250 million in support for agriculture, with the potential to expand this to as much as €1 billion through the Bank of Albania and second-tier banks. Rama emphasized that funding itself is not the main issue—the bigger challenge lies in farmers’ ability to access and use these funds effectively due to lack of information and preparedness.
This sharp critique comes amid broader concerns about the competitiveness of Albanian agricultural products, which have faced quality-related barriers in export markets and ongoing structural challenges within the sector.