Inside Story, INSTAT: Herds halved

Data served by Instat that livestock is being exterminated.

If in 2015 we had herds that in total amounted to up to 3 million small heads nationwide, in 2020 we had about 2 million small and today we have dropped to 1.8 million heads. There has also been a significant reduction in the number of cattle. According to Instat, if a few years ago we had about 500 thousand cattle, in 2020, which are the latest data, there are about 360 thousand heads.

“Farmers and ranchers are leaving the land. There are many cases when farmers have closed their stables or are in the process of closing them, in other words we are actually in a kind of extermination in terms of livestock and leaving the land barren “said the expert, Ervin Resuli

Paradoxically, after the failure in Albania, farmers choose to emigrate to Greece or other neighboring countries, and do the same job that plunged them into debt in Albania. As a result of the contraction of this sector, the milk and meat that are thrown on the market has also decreased. Milk production in 2020 is 1.05 million tons, marking a decrease of about 9% from 2016 when 1.16 million tons of milk were produced.

But according to a report of the Dairy Industry, of this amount of milk only 119 thousand tons, or 11% of the total has ended up in the processing industry, marking a drastic decrease of 14% compared to a year ago. While in EU countries, this figure is around 90%.

This report also cites the low yield of milk production from cows, which in our country varies to 3028 kilograms of milk per year per cow, while in EU countries this average is about 7346 kilograms. This low yield is associated with high costs. As a result, Albanian farmers have reduced the quantity and quality of food, no longer thinking about milk but only thinking about how to save the farm.

The amount of processed milk for consumption in Albania is 16-17 thousand tons, while the amount of imported milk per year, according to customs statistics is 11-12 thousand tons of milk per year. Imported milk accounts for about 75% of the amount processed in the country. This represents about 42% of total milk for consumption during 2020.