Albania’s trade with Ecuador rose sharply after 2015. At the time, the Western Balkan nation imported 15,000 tons of goods. 7 years after, the sale of fruits doubled.
Boxes of bananas, loaded on the ports of Ecuador travel over 12,000 kilometers to reach their final destination, Albania. Companies that order these shipments have expanded significantly in the Albanian market.
Tropical fruits arriving from the South American country make up 85% of the overall imports, followed by sea products (13%). Last year, Albania paid more than 3 billion Albanian Lek (€24,813,895) to Ecuador.
These figures only account for the goods declared at the customs, leaving out the equation the amounts of drugs seized at the borders, and what might have potentially slipped under the eye of law enforcement authorities.
In the past 4 years, Albanian authorities busted over 1 ton of cocaine. 15 shipments arriving from Ecuador were seized at the port of Durres, while many other containers have been stopped on the other side of the Atlantic.
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