CHRONICLE ON ASPHALT/ The rise and fall of Bella B.

 Kliko këtu për të tjera
Voxpress:

Livestock farmers in protest block the Lushnjë-Fier highway. What is the cause?

2024-04-08 13:56:29Biznes SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX

The halving of milk prices on farms compared to last year brought out the livestock farmers of Lushnja and Fier in protest today.

Cattle farmers have left with their tractors from Kavaja, Vlora, Berati, Fieri and Lushnja towards the Savra roundabout, where the Lushnjë-Fier highway was blocked around 12:00.

Cattle farmers are protesting low milk prices and lack of subsidies. Last year, a liter of milk on the farm cost about 140 Lek, while now, less than 70 Lek, as the imports of this product have increased significantly in the first three months of the year.

Cattle breeders claimed that the state, in addition to not giving subsidies to Albanian farmers, does not protect local production from import prices. Cattle breeders claim that none of the state institutions, namely, the Competition Authority, the General Directorate of Taxes, the General Directorate of Customs and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development are not doing their duty to promote and protect local production.

Producers and livestock keepers claim that costs in the livestock chain are high as the state does not subsidize the sector. With the removal of the VAT exemption, once again returning to the 20% level, the situation worsened further. The price of milk on the farm is currently 40% to 80% higher than in the EU and the Region.

In Albania, last year, farmers who had more than 10 cows received 98 euros per head in two installments, while in Serbia, after the farmers' strike last year, the subsidy for a dairy cow is 365 euros, and for every liter the farmer gets back 0.16 cents.

This difference in prices is orienting the Albanian factories towards the import of milk from abroad, which means that it is a multiple pressure for the livestock farmers who already suffer from the high costs of raw materials, the lack of labor force and the abandonment of the village.

On the other hand, Albania does not have a steadily distributed consumption throughout the months of the year. Last year there was an unusual demand in the three months of summer due to the high flow of tourists. After the December holidays, now in the first three months of 2024, sales have dropped significantly, processors claim.

Distortions in the market and excessive consumption harm farmers. Albanian cattle breeders do not have storage capacity, they cannot afford transport costs, they are not represented by unions and are "victims" of price changes according to market needs.

In other European countries, these fluctuations are eliminated by subsidies. In all neighboring countries, subsidies to livestock farmers increased further after the costs created by the war in Ukraine, further increasing competition with our country.


Në përputhje me standarded JTI

Video

SHIKO KANALIN NE YOUTUBE
×