Hail destroys apples in Korça, farmers in protest

 Apples damaged by hail in Korça

 Farmers from the villages of Korça, Devoll, and Maliq protested today in front of the agricultural extension office. The reason for their protest is the loss of apple production due to the hailstorm that hit most of the villages in these municipalities a few days ago.

The vice-president of the small business association in Korça, Bujar Muço, has asked the agricultural extension office and the ministry to pay more attention to such cases concerning farmers. He has called for compensation for the farmers as they have been losing their apple production for the past 4 years.

On the other hand, farmers have expressed that if the government does not come closer to them this year, the only option they have left is to leave the country, local media inform.

Other farmers accuse that the support from the networks has been given to sympathizers of the Socialist Party (PS) and not to ordinary farmers who make a living from agriculture.

The director of the regional agricultural extension office, Vullnet Gjolla, has stated that the ministry has repeatedly supported farmers with anti-hail nets and has asked them to secure their production, including the apple orchards.

Official sources in the Korça region indicate that more than 3,100 hectares of apples have been planted, with over 680 hectares in the Devoll municipality, where the damages are more significant. Officially, the damage from the hailstorm is estimated to be up to 40%, while farmers claim that the damage reaches up to 80% of the apple-planted area.