Albania produces less milk per capita in Europe, imports from abroad increase

 

 Although the most agricultural country in Europe, Albania has the lowest milk production per capita. Data from Eurostat show that last year only 42 kilograms of raw milk were produced for each inhabitant, from 150 in Greece, 236 in Italy or 404 in Germany, local media reports.

This figure is nearly 50 times lower than Ireland. This has caused the import of dairy products, mainly from Serbia, to increase from year to year, peaking at over 28 thousand tons last year from about 20 thousand tons in 2020.

This is due to the lack of raw materials in the local market.

While blaming the government for the lack of support, farmer Dashamir Çela asks for subsidies for the sector to get out of the crisis.

In contrast, according to Çela, both producers and processors can quickly face a chain of bankruptcies.

According to data from the Institute of Statistics, the number of cattle in the country is rapidly decreasing from year to year. About 138 thousand cows, sheep, and goats less than in 2017 are currently counted.

The amount of milk collected in the country has had a similar trend, which according to INSTAT has shrunk by almost 25 thousand tons in just three years.

However, Oculus News Albania sources confirm that these are only official data, since on the other hand more than 50% of Albanians consume milk that does not pass through the fiscal systems, i.e. directly from the cow. This is mainly in villages and on the outskirts of major cities.

 Citizens buying milk from a street vendor on a street in Tirana

The sale of this milk is done by street vendors who sell the milk produced by their cows, who go door to door in the city or village and offer their fresh milk.