Kosovo this year much more dependent on wheat import

The grain harvesting campaign has already ended. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Agriculture has not yet come up with figures concerning wheat productivity achieved this year in Kosovo.

Agriculture and wheat growers say productivity this year was lower, as a result of the climate conditions that reigned in spring and beginnings, which were not in favor of wheat.

According to the chairman of the Union Federation of Farmers, Tahir Tahiri, compared to last year the wheat productivity is lower.

We have our activists interviewing farmers on the ground and we draw an average. We're much worse than last year. Last year, productivity has been brought over 3 thousand pounds per hectare, but this year we do not believe we will reach the average of 3 thousand pounds per hectare”, he said.

In addition, in the morning programme on Radio Kosova Tahiri says the country will also have great dependence on wheat imports this year.

This year we will likely be much more dependent on wheat imports than in previous years, as productivity is lower and also on a large share of wheat and quality is weak”, he said.

Even agriculture university professor Imer Rusinovac says Kosovo will have great dependence this year on wheat imports.

In view of the impact of the cold weather it was, since we had a figurative year “the year without spring” therefore, even this year we will be marked with the inefficiency of local production”, Rusinovac said.

In the absence of the necessary amount of wheat, Kosovo has been dependent on imports for years. According to Customs data, from January 1st 2022 to June 30th 2023, Kosovo has imported about 150 thousand tonnes of wheat, worth just over 48m euros. During the same period, Kosovo has also imported wheat flour and noon flour worth about 10 million.