The Dairy Farmers Association (BPQ) raises concerns about the difficult situation the sector is in due to insufficient subsidies and administrative red tape in obtaining public funds.
The main factors that, according to the Dairy Farmers Association, are weighing on the sector are global warming, damage from natural disasters, lack of insurance schemes, market uncertainty, rising prices of agricultural inputs and labor shortages. The association states that Albanian farmers, instead of being supported and stimulated to increase domestic production, are facing numerous economic and administrative difficulties. A particular concern is related to the way applicants are treated by the Agency for Agricultural and Rural Development (AZHBR).
According to the BPQ, even the funds made available for investments are often accompanied by lengthy bureaucratic procedures, repeated requests for documentation, and obstacles that make it difficult to realize investments.
"It is time for the responsible institutions to understand that the farmer is not a beneficiary who should be treated as a suspect, but is an entrepreneur who invests his capital, takes on great risks and ensures domestic production, employment and economic development of the country. We cannot demand more domestic production, more investment and more competitiveness, while the institutions themselves create obstacles for those who produce," their letter states.
The Dairy Farmers Association states that some of the most worrying issues are:
1. Disqualifications for bureaucratic reasons
Farmers face different administrative interpretations regarding the documentation, status and conditions of investments, being disqualified for formal reasons, often without considering the reality and purpose of the investment.
2. Unjustified reductions in the value of investments and endless documentation requests
During the qualification process, price reductions are requested, certain expenses are not accepted, deadlines are extended, and repeated documentation, explanations, and numerous reports are required, making the process tedious and unpredictable.
3. Contracts concluded without realistic deadlines
Contracts are often concluded without guaranteeing sufficient time for the realization of investments, procurement and purchase of necessary machinery or equipment. The farmer is forced to meet deadlines that do not match the reality of the market and the implementation of investments.
4. Lack of cooperation and delayed checks
Instead of a spirit of cooperation and support, farmers face a negative administrative approach and late checks, which in many cases create more obstacles than solutions.
5. Penalty for documents and deadlines that do not depend on the farmer
Farmers are prejudiced and risk disqualification for lack of state documents, such as building permits, occupancy certificates, and other documents, the deadlines for obtaining which depend on public institutions and not on the farmer himself.
6. Creating continuous obstacles to making payments
In many cases, committees are created, various claims are raised, and successive clarifications are requested, dragging out the process and creating uncertainty regarding the benefit of approved funds.
7. Funding cut and request for refund of advance payments
Farmers face reductions in the value of investments, disqualifications, and demands for the return of prepaid funds, often facing heavy financial obligations and consequences that jeopardize the very existence of their activity.
8. Delays in payments of national schemes
Payments of national schemes are made with delays, damaging farmers' financial planning and making it difficult for them to meet production costs. Livestock farmers and farmers are demanding real support policies, transparent procedures, reasonable deadlines, cooperative institutions, timely payments and fair treatment of every farmer. Public funds under them should serve the development of agriculture and livestock, not turn into a bureaucratic instrument to disqualify farmers./Monitor
