Albanian farmers have received promising news as the giant supermarket chain "Coop" has declared its interest in Albania as an importer of vegetables and fruits. Coop's CEO, Philipp Wyss, stated in a recent interview that they aim to establish the necessary contracts with Albanian vegetable producers in the spring.
According to Wyss, Albanian tomatoes, cucumbers, pumpkins, watermelons, and mandarins will complement products from Spain in the future.
During an interview with "Tamedian," the Coop CEO mentioned that high water consumption is a major issue for Spain. This is why minority retailers sought alternatives.
"However, Albania will not be able to replace the Iberian country because it is a small country, smaller than Switzerland, 17 times smaller than Spain in terms of surface area. And with only about 3 million inhabitants, its production capacities are limited. We can imagine a complementary role, but certainly not a dominant one."
On the other hand, concerning climate, this Balkan state is a Mediterranean country, located roughly at the same latitude as Spain or Southern Italy. Therefore, it can cultivate the same types of fruits and vegetables. And thanks to its water reserves, Albania, in principle, does not experience water stress.
Agriculture is a key sector of the Albanian economy, with over a third of the population employed in it, representing approximately 20% of GDP. But according to a recent World Bank report, Albanian agriculture faces many structural difficulties, including inefficient farming methods, distribution problems, low subsidies, and rising fertilizer prices. This sector has considerable potential for improvement, but significant efforts are required to achieve this, again according to the World Bank.
Greece and Romania are also included. One-third of Romanian agricultural land is fallow, but it is difficult, for historical reasons, to have access to large land parcels," said the brand's general manager.
Primary commodities such as cocoa also come from foreign production.
"Due to the very high prices of cocoa and sugar, we will increase some prices for products containing these primary commodities," said the Coop head.
Currently, negotiations with suppliers regarding their price demands are ongoing.
With a history of more than 150 years, Coop has become one of the largest supermarket chains in Europe. Its aim to import agricultural products from Albania is good news, not only for farmers but also for the Albanian economy as a whole, which will have more export opportunities in international markets. Furthermore, Coop's contracts set new standards in farming, encouraging the modernization of this sector.