MEAT Sector Analyse

Meat Sector Study
Financing for agricultural investment projects almost cannot be obtained from commercial
banks, as land ownership and title are not always secure and banks are generally not much
interested in agricultural land as collateral. Furthermore interest rates are high so that
financing is brought up within the family, in case that there are investment projects at all.
The cooperation between farmers, which is starting slowly in advanced countries like Austria,
hardly exists in Albania. In the previous system farmers have been forced to cooperate and
now farmers are staunchly independent, even though they could farm more profitably if they
work together. Suggestions for cooperation could start in division of labour or specialising the
cattle farms; one produces calves and the other one specialises in fattening them.
Cattle, especially from subsistence farms, have usually no open yard and graze in the
neighbourhood of the farm (and along the streets), regardless of the ownership of the land:
Albania has around 423,000 ha of pastures and around 38 % are still owned by the state.
The possibilities for expansion of natural pasture are limited due to the geographical situation
in Albania with substantial mountainous area. Therefore increased feed must come from
improved production of fodder such as lucernes, maize and other grasses, and improved
utilization of industrial by-products such as olive cake, bran and soybean meal. Maize silage
is almost unknown. Forage crops are now grown on 200,000 hectares (Source: MAFCP;
Statistical Yearbook 2009), or 40 % of the cropped arable land, with lucernes comprising
about two-thirds of this area. Most is harvested by hand – as agricultural equipment is too
expensive - and there are problems with weeds and poor storage of hay.
Generally there is room for improvements – especially on the small farms - concerning
forage quality, management and feeding practices and also availability of clean seed.
Grazing resources including pasture, forest, and some agricultural land are fundamental for
livestock raising, but have degraded significantly over the last 20 years, particularly in land
close to communities where over-grazing and over-cutting of wood have resulted in reduced
productivity and soil erosion. (Source: SHUNDI, Andrea Prof.: Country Pasture/Forage
Resource Profiles Albania; 2006)
Bigger farms are managed better but have to purchase partly fodder from the market as
farms are often too small to produce enough forage; that might start even with hay.
Due to the small size of the herds biogas facilities are not in place.
Governmental policy aims to stimulate just milk cow farmers. There is no support for meat
production. Veterinary services are available to limited amount; actually only 61 % of the
cows are artificially inseminated; one third of the Holstein and Jersey cows is inseminated
with meat breeds such as Limousin and Charolais exclusively for meat production.
Summarizing one might say that cattle farmers producing meat are oriented towards the
fresh market, as imported deep frozen beef is much cheaper and therefore the meat
processing industry is not interested in local beef.
Cattle usually do not reach more than 420 – 460 kg live weight and average price therefore is
Lek 320 -330 / kg.
Sheep and goats
55.942 of all farms in Albania keep sheep and 26.175 keep goat; the majority of sheep farm
also keeps goats. The total number of sheep is almost constant; 1.830.000 in 2006,
1.853.000 in 2007 and 1.768.000 in 2009; the number of milked sheep is always around
400,000 lower. Figures for goats look as follows: 940.000 in 2006, 876.000 in 2007 and
772,000 in 2009; the number of milked goats is always around 200,000 lower.
Meat Sector Study, page 16