TIRANA (Albania), March 5 (SeeNews) – Albania’s agriculture ministry said on Tuesday it signed an agreement with United Nations agencies to co-finance a $5.7 million (6.5 million euro) programme for boosting economic growth and employment and supporting agriculture this year and next.
The main objective of the programme is to reduce poverty in rural areas by raising awareness of the key role of women in agriculture and rural economy, agriculture minister Bledi Cuci was quoted as saying in a press release issued by the ministry.
The project also aims to increase competitiveness in the agricultural sector and improve product quality and security standards by increasing rural incomes and reducing agricultural trade deficit, Cuci noted.
Cuci said in a Facebook post last week that the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is providing a $4.5 million grant for the implementation of a programme for increasing food security and boosting rural development in Albania. The three-year programme aims to increase incomes in rural areas and support small farmers and family farms, with particular focus on women and young people.
($ = 0.88137 euro)