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| At the Albanian Olive oil Conference |
Albania has the potential to become a competitive player in the production and export of olive oil in international markets, but it needs to consolidate its brand. In just the first 8 months of this year, exports reached a value of 25 million euros, nearly 7 times higher compared to the same period a year ago. With a long tradition in olive cultivation and oil production, the sector's increasing attention and investments are making the expansion into new markets more feasible, Monitor reports.
This was the focal point of a conference dedicated to this issue at Expo City, titled "Olive and Olive Oil Quality in Albania," discussing recent export achievements, their challenges and solutions, as well as the main actors' objectives for this product.
Agricultural economist Drini Imami expressed that despite the significant increase in olive oil production last year, the surplus has become a challenge to manage, as the main solution is export. He suggested that this should be the main focus when discussing this industry.
"The increase in oil production has boosted consumption locally, but during this period, we have faced several challenges. Despite the surplus last year, this year we have low yields. The biggest issue I see that we will face for a long time is the surplus, which demands export. This should be our primary focus," Imami stated.
Stephan Joss, the head of the Risi Albania project, stated that the climate changes in Italy and Spain have helped olive oil exports from Albania, but long-term solutions are needed for our country to establish itself on the map. Creating a brand and improving the quality to enable Albanian products to competently compete with countries like Italy, Greece, and Spain is crucial.
"I want to start with climate changes. When the ministry contacted us regarding this issue, Spain and Italy were facing a drought that had damaged their olive production. When the minister contacted us, she asked us to find a long-term solution, not just for a year, as Albania fortunately did not face such disasters.
As exporters, we need to prepare for unpredictable situations, both in the domestic and foreign markets. We need to see the real potential of this product. We need to establish and create an image for Albanian olive oil to highlight its true value. But trust needs to be built with consumers, and this can only be achieved by managing quality. It's true that investment in equipment is necessary, but the profits gained after improving the quality will always be more. The combination of all these aspects puts us on the map with other countries, making us equal and competently competing with Spain, Italy, and Greece," Joss expressed.
Minister of Agriculture Anila Denaj called for cooperation among the key players in the market to create a robust economy to achieve the necessary economic yield. Denaj also emphasized the branding of oil, suggesting it should not be marketed in the forms we see today, as this devalues the product not only domestically but also internationally.
"Statistics give us information to create policies. We see that the export quantity has increased from 149 tons to over 300 tons. There are several areas we need to focus on. We need to create a robust economy to reach the right level of economic yield where it's needed. We must cooperate with all actors, ensuring that products have the proper value according to the market. There should be no more plastic containers; oil should be replaced with labeling for a fixed value.
If we freely sell our product, we undervalue the asset that has been given to us. For every area that has the potential to cultivate oil, the yield should be increased as much as possible and not think about lowering the price," she said.
Agim Rrapaj, the chairman of the Agribusiness Council, expressed that the success achieved would not have been possible without the cooperation of the 14 institutions whose main focus was to increase the value of oil in foreign markets and improve its quality. He stated that the main goal is to create an Albanian brand that represents the product better in international markets.
"We had a very successful year, and this success mostly belongs to the unity of the 14 entities that had olive cultivation as their main focus. It was precisely this unity that made these results possible.
In the period 2021-2022, we exported about 149 tons of oil, and today we are at 7,000 tons of oil that are not officially registered. This industry has great potential, and we have tried to achieve it. Proper analyses have been conducted to test the product's quality.
However, throughout the year, we have faced various challenges, and to reach even higher levels of success, which are possible, we have also called for the unification of 10 other entities next year to help in every phase of the production chain. This will help us solve medium and long-term problems.
Rrapaj stated that the main objective is to create an Albanian brand that represents the product well in foreign markets.