TIRANA (Albania), February 27 (SeeNews) – The United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is providing $4.5 million (4 million euro) for the implementation of a programme for increasing food security and boosting rural development in Albania, agriculture minister Bledi Cuci said.
The three-year programme aims to increase incomes in rural areas and support small farmers and family farms, with particular focus on women and young people, Cuci said in a Facebook post late on Tuesday, after signing the funding agreement with UN and FAO representatives in Tirana.
The project will support farmers by improving their access to financial schemes such as the EU-backed Instrument for Pre-accession for Rural Development (IPARD II) programme, Cuci noted.
The programme also focuses on strengthening the legal and institutional framework with regard to processing of agricultural produce and climate change in order to increase competitiveness in the agricultural sector.
The European Commission has given the green light to the implementation of IPARD II programme in Albania, the EU delegation to the country said in October last year. The EU will provide 71 million euro, while the Albanian government will contribute 23 million euro to the IPARD II.
($ = 0.87958 euro)