Prime Minister Edi Rama said during a meeting with farmers in Erseka that municipalities should work as partners with farmers for the production and trading of goods. The Minister of Agriculture Frida Krifca was also present at the meeting.

“I have asked all mayors, including yours, to engage directly with farmers. The municipality should enter a new phase of playing the role of the direct partner of the farmers in these collection and agro-processing points. An action that would work as a guarantor that simulates the farmers union. Municipalities should be engaged in making these projects. The Ministry of Agriculture through European funds and through the sovereign guarantee for agriculture should directly help farmers. Participating farmers should have support and as shareholders of this enterprise should not be financially burdened”, said Rama.

In addition, Rama underlined that farmers should be equipped with NIPT numbers to receive support from the ministry or EU funds. Rama underlined that 35% of NIPTs in the Erseka area are registered under women business owners.

“We have many farmers who do not registered for their NIPTs because they are afraid of taxes. If you don’t have a NIPT, you don’t get any kind of support. NIPTs are useful, as you have seen when we gave out the oil subsidies in the past. In this area, there are about 35% of NIPTs owned by women, they are engaged in various types of projects”, he said.