Hundreds of quintals of onions remain unsold in the Korçë region, particularly in the village of Zvirinë, part of the Maliq municipality. The situation stems from a combination of extremely low prices and a lack of market demand, leaving farmers in a dire financial position.
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| Hundreds of tons just harvested onions in Korça waiting to be sold |
One such farmer, Halide Hoxhallari, left Italy to return to southeastern Albania to invest in agriculture, but she quickly regretted the decision. Her entire onion crop remains in the field, severely damaging her family's finances.
"We don’t know what’s happening. The crop is rotting, infected seeds, and it’s not selling. They offer 18-20 lek per kilo. They come and laugh at us. In Tirana, they sell onions for much more, but here it’s too cheap," said Hoxhallari. "I returned from Italy with my three sons, invested in this land, and now we’re losing everything. I blame myself, but why isn’t the state controlling anything? It’s a catastrophe. My sons went back abroad, one to Italy, another to Greece. We lost everything. Two years in Italy, 40,000 euros saved, and now I’m forced to leave again," she added.
Another farmer, Burbuqe Killo, echoed similar frustrations, stating that her entire onion harvest remains unsold.
"I planted 30 dynyms (approximately 3 hectares) and haven’t sold anything. It’s unbearable. Workers cost 20,000 lek a day, and now I have to do everything myself. Buyers offer 13-15 lek per kilo. What can we do? We’re throwing the onions away. There’s no future here," Killo said.
Robert Qeleshi, the village head of Zvirinë, explained that last year, a kilogram of onions sold for 100 lek, while this year, it’s only 20 lek.
"It all depends on the market; there’s no demand. It’s not that production increased; in fact, onion yields were lower this year. But there’s no market. Last year, prices started at 80-100 lek, while this year it’s down to 18 lek. We hope to sell eventually, but it all depends on the market," Qeleshi said.
Across the Korçë region, approximately 1,180 hectares of onions have been planted, with over 70% of the crop still unsold, leaving farmers facing economic devastation as they struggle to find buyers.