The images speak volumes about the dire situation faced by farmers in southeastern Albania. Entire orchards have been cut down, as local farmers lose the desire and strength to continue their work.
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| Cut apple trees in the village of Zvirinë, south Albania |
The apple trees being uprooted today were planted in recent years. Everything the Nurka family saved from working abroad was invested in these lands, yet the current market situation has forced Skënder, the family's elder, to abandon this family tradition.
“They don’t sell. Prices are nonexistent. Pesticides are a disaster. What should I do? Cut my own head off instead? My son is gone, my daughter too. I am 65, living on a pension, and the apples remain unsold. High-quality apples, but the whole country is suffering the same. It breaks my heart. I still have another orchard, but sooner or later, I will have to leave this place too,” the farmer laments.
The sorrow of seeing years of investment, labor, and sweat go to waste is immeasurable.
“How could I not feel heartbroken? It’s soul-crushing. We grew up with this work. I studied agronomy, graduated in ‘79, and this has been our livelihood—mine, my father’s, my son’s. But my son left for Italy three years ago. What fault do we have? The fault lies with those who have stripped us of everything,” he expresses bitterly.
The cutting of apple orchards continues in the Devoll area as well, where farmers are abandoning fruit trees due to the lack of a market, unfair competition, and most importantly, the overwhelming presence of imported goods. In the Maliq and Devoll plains alone, around 35 hectares of land once cultivated with fruit trees have been cleared by disheartened farmers.
This is not just the end of an orchard—it is the end of a legacy, a way of life, and a tradition that once defined the livelihoods of many families in these regions.