Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in cooperation with Albinspekt bio.inspecta and with the support of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation SDC, has taken the initiative to establish a national technical working group for the implementation of the GlobalG.AP standard in fruits and vegetables “Made in Albania ”.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mrs. Emira Gjeçi said that “GlobalG.A.P is one of the most demanded standards by the markets of the European Union and beyond.

“GlobalG.A.P Working Group in Albania should encourage and support the actors involved through the adaptation with the requirements of the GlobalG.A.P standard and should be a source of valuable information on this standard, which is a passport for agricultural exports to international markets “, stated Mrs. Gjeçi.

The technical working group consists of 9 members, each representing exporters, consultants certified by
GlobalG.A.P, consulting companies, agronomists, representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture and
Rural Development as well as agribusiness associations.

This group aims to address some important issues for the further development of the standard. The representatives of the national technical working group explained the objectives of this voluntary  group and the work conducted so far.

The possibility for Albania to have in the future a local standard based on the experience of neighboring countries and the platform offered by GlobalG.A.P, was also one of the main issues discussed. This would benefit the improvement of food security in the fruit and vegetable sector as well as increased standards towards the European Union.

Also the technical working group, addressed to MARD the request on the amendment of DCM no.100 dated 05.02.2020 for the support and financing measures of the certified units according to the GlobalG.A.P standard. The importance of support for group certification as a sustainable and appropriate model for the structure of agriculture in Albania was emphasized.

Today, Albanian agricultural exports reach 75 countries around the world. Agricultural exports, in total, have increased from about $ 100 million at the end of 2014 to $ 400 million at the end of 2020, and are projected to reach over $ 1 billion in the next four years.

The agricultural sector is among the sectors with the largest contribution to Gross Domestic Product, with about 20%. In Albania, back in 2013 about 125 thousand ha of land were cultivated, while today 250 thousand ha of land are cultivated.