The conference “Digital Agriculture for Albania 2030” was held in Tirana on Monday, where “YLLI”, the first virtual assistant for Albanian farmers, was presented.

“YLLI” is part of the Farmer Portal, which, through Artificial Intelligence and in the Albanian language, will provide information, guidance, and assistance in real time to farmers, making agriculture more modern, more accessible, and closer to European standards.

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Andis Salla, in his speech on this occasion, said that “Albania is entering a new phase of development, where the agricultural sector will increasingly rely on technology and the real-time use of data by farmers on their plots”.

He emphasized that digital technologies are now a necessity for the agricultural sector, faced with challenges related to climate change, increasing production costs, market competition, and the need to meet European standards.

One of the main innovations of the portal is “YLLI”, the first virtual assistant for the Albanian farmer, built on artificial intelligence and capable of communicating in Albanian.

The Minister announced that through the portal, prices of markets and collection points will also be published in real time, increasing transparency and orientation for farmers.

Salla underlined that digitalization will also extend to the monitoring of plots through intelligent sensors, which will provide real-time information on irrigation, fertilization, weather conditions, and necessary interventions in agricultural crops.

During the event, Minister Salla also emphasized the role of young people and innovation in the development of modern agriculture.

In conclusion, the minister thanked the international partners and institutions that contribute to this process, emphasizing that the objective for 2030 remains the construction of a more modern, more intelligent, more competitive, and fully oriented Albanian agriculture towards the European future.

At the end of the activity, a live demonstration of the functionalities of the Farmer Portal was carried out by farmer Manjola Hafizi, who has been engaged in raspberry cultivation since 2015. Through the platform, she requested real-time information on the National Support Scheme 2026, applications for which have recently been opened, illustrating in practice the way the portal functions and the services it offers to farmers.

The demonstration concretely transformed the vision of digital agriculture into a usable tool for farmers, where “YLLI”, the first virtual assistant for the Albanian farmer, chatted in real time with Manjola, showing how simple it is for a farmer to access the platform, request information, and receive immediate answers in Albanian for the needs of his agricultural activity.

Meanwhile, speaking at the conference, the manager of the World Bank Office in Albania, Massimiliano Paolucci, assessed that the implementation of digital agriculture in the country constitutes a strategic step towards building a “national digital pillar” for the agricultural sector.

According to him, Albania is developing the Information Technology Platform for Climate Smart Agriculture within the framework of the CRAD project, with the support of the WB, aiming to create an integrated agricultural data system.