Floods destroyed 1000 hectares of arable land in Albania, of which 25 greenhouses

Floods in Berat after the many days of heavy rainfall

 At least 1,000 hectares of agricultural land of which 25 hectares of greenhouses have been flooded during recent rains by river overflows in the South of the country, the Ministry of Agriculture said. The biggest damages were created in the administrative unit of Kutalli in Berat, one of the most productive areas in the country with intensive agriculture.

The rains came as a curse. The water that has flooded the arable lands and greenhouses.

In addition to the damage to the greenhouses, the floods damaged tens of hectares of land planted with wheat in the field, which is rotting under the water and sludge created by the floods.

Floods in the South Albania have increased the last decade, because in the rainy seasons the rivers, mainly the River Vjosa, get out of bed flooding the lands around it. The Minister of Agriculture during a field visit said that the damage from the recent floods would be greater if investments had not been made in the Vjosa embankment.

The Directorate of Agriculture in the Region of Berat has set up a commission to assess the damage caused by floods, which went to the field yesterday.

The business climate in the agricultural production line has deteriorated in recent years due to rising costs coming from high fertilizer and pesticide prices and on the other hand the damage they have suffered from the weed of second plantings and the lack of subsidies.

Historically agricultural businesses, especially family farms, have suffered from low-profit rates, but recently rising raw material costs and market shortages are leaving hundreds of hectares of land uncultivated for next season. In the areas of Fier and Lushnja, this year, urea is sold 120% more expensive and nitrate almost 250% more than last year.

Costs for all poisons and other pesticides, greenhouse plastics, and iron have also increased. Farmer Ziu said that the production cost of a kilogram of tomatoes has now reached 330-350 leks, depending on the culture and seeds, from about 290 leks or 30 leks last year. Meanwhile selling prices have dropped significantly below cost.

Chemical fertilizers and pesticides, in addition to being traded at very high prices for farmers' budgets, are also of poor quality.