Faced with difficulties in Spain, the Coop turns to Albania to import its fruits and vegetables. Contracts with Albanian producers should be concluded in the spring, according to the group’s boss. And the prices of imported sugar products will increase, he warns.

Tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, strawberries and Albanian mandarins should in the future complement the products from Spain, assures Philipp Wyss on Friday in the German-speaking titles of the Tamedia group.

Coop also clarified to RTS that peppers and watermelons are already partially imported from Albania.

A similar climate

The retailer began looking for an alternative, as Spain’s enormous water consumption posed a problem. Albania will not, however, be able to replace the Iberian country, already because it is a small country, smaller than Switzerland, 17 times smaller than Spain in area. And as it only has around 3 million inhabitants, its production capacities are therefore limited. We can imagine a complementary role, but certainly not a dominant role.

On the other hand, in terms of climate, this Balkan state is a Mediterranean country, located at approximately the same latitude as Spain or southern Italy. He can therefore grow the same type of fruits and vegetables. And thanks to its water reserves, Albania does not, in principle, experience water stress.

Agriculture is a key sector of the Albanian economy, since more than a third of the population works in it and it represents nearly 20% of the gross domestic product. But according to a recent World Bank report, Albanian agriculture faces many structural difficulties, including inefficient farming methods, distribution problems, low subsidies and the increase in fertilizer prices. This sector has significant potential for progress, but significant efforts are required to achieve this, again according to the World Bank.