Farmers from the Strumica region have brought the city center to a standstill with tractors and other agricultural machinery. The protest is against the current purchase price of Kërtovska peppers, which are used by the canning and processing industry.

Producers expect Agriculture Minister Borçe Serafimovski to take concrete steps following a meeting held in Strumica a day earlier. According to the farmers, the minister expressed his willingness to consider their demands, but must first speak with representatives of the processing companies before making a decision. These companies are currently offering 25 denars per kilogram.

“The minister promised us yesterday that he would work to secure a higher purchase price. If an acceptable price is not reached—one that at least covers our production costs—we will resume protests and blockades starting Tuesday,” said Aleksandar Grozdanov, a representative of the Mladi Murtino Association.

The farmers’ protests and blockades have now entered their third day. Their main demand is for the purchase price to be calculated based on actual production costs.

The farmers consider the change in price compared with last year unjustifiable. At that time, mixed first- and second-grade peppers sent to canning industry factories for processing were purchased for 35 to 40 denars per kilogram, while this year the price has fallen to 25 denars.

According to the producers, the amount currently being offered does not cover production costs. They have warned that the protests will continue unless a concrete solution is offered.

They are calling on the institutions and processing companies to hold negotiations and set a price that allows farmers to cover their costs and continue production.

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In the first months of the year, Albania had energy to sell. In the summer, it is paying €41.5 million to import it, at least so far. This reversal is not unusual.

It has occurred repeatedly over the years, as domestic energy production remains heavily dependent on rainfall and water inflows. This time, it is happening as demand for energy rises due to high temperatures and the influx of tourists.

At the same time, storms and hail have damaged agricultural production, while vegetable prices rose by 8.5% in June, precisely at the peak of the domestic growing season.

The common denominator is hotter and more unstable weather. El Niño is part of this backdrop, but it is not the sole explanation for every heatwave, storm or price increase.

“El Niño affects the global climate, but its impact on the Mediterranean and Albania is not direct,” says Anira Gjoni, an expert in the Department of Meteorology at the Institute of Geosciences.

According to her, the country’s weather conditions are determined mainly by atmospheric systems that develop over the Atlantic, the Mediterranean and Europe, as well as by the regional circulation of air masses.

These systems can amplify, alter or weaken the signal associated with El Niño.

This makes it difficult to separate the phenomenon’s effects from the longer-term trend of climate change. Nevertheless, the economic impact of above-normal temperatures and increasingly erratic rainfall is becoming more measurable.

Record Consumption Changes the Energy Balance

During several weeks in June, temperatures in Albania were 3 to 6 degrees Celsius above the long-term average. The country was on the periphery of the heatwave that hit Western and Central Europe harder, but the anomalies were sufficient to increase pressure on the energy system.

“The rise in temperatures in our country was 3–6 degrees above the long-term average during the respective weeks of June,” Gjoni says.

She explains that the episodes of high temperatures were driven by the arrival of extremely warm subtropical air masses from North Africa. According to her, these conditions are mainly linked to the atmospheric configuration over the Mediterranean rather than to a direct impact from El Niño.

Daily energy consumption peaked at around 25,000 megawatt-hours in June, according to the Distribution System Operator. Compared with the same month last year, the increase was 13.9%.

In the first six months of 2026, consumption reached 4.4 million megawatt-hours, up from 4.1 million a year earlier, an increase of about 10%.

High temperatures and increased tourism activity are driving greater use of air conditioning and placing a heavier load on the grid. More than 1,000 employees have been placed on standby for the summer season, while 136 teams have been deployed in the field to respond to faults and prevent outages.

However, the main cost does not lie solely in grid maintenance. The Albanian Power Corporation has contracted 331,200 megawatt-hours of energy for the period from July 1 to September 30. The weighted average price was €125.47 per megawatt-hour, while the total value of the contract reached approximately €41.5 million.

Just a few months earlier, the situation was the opposite. High inflows into the Drin cascade enabled KESH to produce more energy than the domestic market required. From January to April, the company sold 456,945 megawatt-hours, generating approximately €33.15 million in revenue, including VAT.

A Double Blow to Agriculture

In agriculture, the risk is not linked only to drought. It also comes from rapid shifts between periods without rainfall and short, intense storms.

“Longer dry periods, interrupted by brief episodes of intense rainfall, are one of the most likely scenarios,” Ms. Gjoni says.

According to her, at higher temperatures, the atmosphere can hold more water vapor. This can lead to rainfall concentrated over short intervals, increasing the risk of flash floods and urban flooding.

For July and August, forecasts do not indicate a strong tendency for rainfall to be significantly above or below the climatic norm. Rainfall is expected to remain uneven across time and space, with dry intervals interrupted by localized episodes.

“Seasonal forecasts are more reliable for temperatures than for rainfall,” Gjoni says.

This combination is particularly costly for farmers. Hot periods increase irrigation needs and production costs.

Storms can damage crops within minutes, often just before harvest. In early July, hail struck fields of wheat, barley and onions on the Maliq plain.

Farmers reported significant losses and, in some cases, damage to more than half of their crops. Fruit trees, vineyards and other crops were damaged in areas of Elbasan.

In Zavalinë, reports from the field indicated severe damage to apple, plum and grape production.

Vineyards were affected in Kolonjë. The storms also caused losses in livestock farming. A lightning strike killed 150 head of livestock at a farm in Delvinë, while another strike in the Maliq area killed about 30 sheep and goats.

There is still no complete financial assessment of these events. However, for small farms, the loss of a seasonal crop or a herd of livestock can wipe out an entire year’s income.

The risk is higher because production is uninsured, leaving the cost with the farmer or shifting it to the public budget through compensation claims in cases where this is deemed justified.

Prices Rise at the Peak of Supply

The blows to production are occurring at a time when vegetable prices are already rising sharply. According to INSTAT, the “Vegetables, greens and legumes” category became 8.5% more expensive in June compared with a year earlier. The rate was almost three times the average food inflation rate of 3%.

The increase is unusual for a month that coincides with the peak production period for many domestic crops. Under normal conditions, increased seasonal supply should lower prices. This time, the opposite happened. Weather is not the only factor.

Exports, transportation costs, labor shortages, the structure of trade and intermediary margins also affect the final price. Nevertheless, high temperatures, the need for more irrigation and hail damage are placing additional pressure on production.

Heat Also Drives Up the Cost of Wildfires

In July, the National Civil Protection Agency reported operations to tackle 16 fire outbreaks across several of the country’s regions. In Shëngjin, on July 13, the flames required the deployment of seven fire engines, the Armed Forces and a military helicopter.

The agency also reported operations in other areas, including the village of Klos, showing that the risk was not limited to a single outbreak. Prolonged heat and dry vegetation cause fires to spread faster, make them more costly and make them more difficult to contain.

In tourist areas, the cost extends beyond the land burned. It affects businesses, the tourist season and public finances, as every operation requires personnel, vehicles and fuel and, in more serious cases, air support. This has been clearly evident in recent years, when large coastal areas have been engulfed by fires.

The initial cause may be human, but higher temperatures multiply the consequences. The longer the heat persists, the more wildfires shift from seasonal episodes to a recurring economic risk every year.

El Niño Is Not the Only Cause

“El Niño and climate change are two different processes occurring simultaneously,” Gjoni says. El Niño is a natural, cyclical and temporary phenomenon that affects climate variability from one year to the next. Climate change represents a long-term trend of rising temperatures, linked mainly to increasing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

“The high temperatures being recorded cannot be attributed solely to El Niño,” the expert says.

“It can temporarily intensify warming, but it is acting on a climate that is already getting warmer.”

Forecasts are also more reliable for temperatures than for rainfall. Temperatures are expected to remain above long-term averages in the coming months, while there is no clear indication as to whether rainfall will be above or below normal. It may remain uneven across time and territory.

This uncertainty carries its own cost. Energy companies must secure imports before knowing exactly how water inflows will change. Farmers must invest in irrigation, even though their crops may later be hit by hail. Municipalities must prepare simultaneously for water shortages, fires and flash floods.

El Niño may pass. The country’s economic exposure to heat and extreme weather will remain. Ultimately, the cost is not measured only in degrees Celsius. It appears in millions of euros spent on energy imports, crops lost in the fields and vegetables that cost more at the market.

What Is El Niño?

El Niño is a natural phenomenon that occurs when the waters of the tropical Pacific become warmer than usual. This warming alters winds and rainfall, affecting weather in many parts of the world.

In some countries, it can bring drought and higher temperatures, while in others it can cause heavy rainfall and flooding. In Albania, its impact is usually indirect and interacts with atmospheric conditions over the Mediterranean and Europe./Monitor

The post From Energy to Agriculture and High Prices: The Economic Cost of El Niño and How It Affects Albania appeared first on Albeu.com.

The combination of inflated chemical fertilizer costs and high land cultivation expenses, against the minimal price at which grain is being collected this year, has devastated the financial situation of farmers. According to voices from the field, with these parameters, agricultural activity is on the brink of bankruptcy.

“We didn’t foresee this… yields were slightly lower, but the price is also very, very bad. I’m talking about agriculture. Fertilizers have become exorbitantly expensive. With wheat, I’m in the red. This work is not worth it at all. Absolutely nothing. It’s below zero. Quality wheat sells for 11 denars a kilogram, second-grade for 9 denars, and the poorest for 8 denars. What can you do? A thousand kilograms, about 150 euros, meanwhile just the cost per decare came out to that. We are exactly even, not even the straw is left over. I don’t know which way to turn.”

The anger of local growers is extraordinary. They underline that a valuation of just 10 denars per kilogram is an insult. To illustrate this alarming situation, producers give a stark example from daily life, where the cost of a few kilograms of clean wheat barely equals the price of a cup of coffee.

“Even if you have… The value, 10 denars. One coffee equals three kilograms of wheat. Without a coffee, you don’t eat bread. It can’t get any worse. They know this. They don’t give subsidies, they don’t give them. And we’re still waiting to see what the yield turns out to be. How they’ll manage around here… Me manage? A total loss. 350 kilograms per decare. It only took wheat. What is reported is 120… And they don’t come to our homes, but we’ve sown the land. What to do, whatever they decide, there’s no way out.”

The consequences of this difficult season are also being felt firsthand by the operators of agricultural machinery in the field. Fitim Idrizi, while driving the combine harvester, explains that the harvesting process started two weeks ago, yet the current rates don’t even justify basic operational costs, such as fuel and plowing.

“The season started two weeks ago. It hasn’t ended yet, and we’ll continue harvesting for about another week. The crops have turned out well, but we don’t like the price at all. At 10 denars, with things left as they are, no account adds up. 20 euros for the combine service, 20 euros for plowing, just fuel and other expenses aren’t covered. But now what can we do, the fields must be harvested. We have to work so we can sow again,” said Fitim Idrizi.

Although the land has been generous this season, the balance sheet for farmers is once again negative. In the absence of concrete support or intervention in the purchase price, the hopelessness prevailing on the ground risks leaving many plots in this area fallow next season.

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As a sign of revolt, they poured milk onto the ground during the protest, after its collection was temporarily halted four days ago, on the eve of the temporary closure of the Vita dairy.

The protesters presented three concrete demands: the immediate resumption of milk collection, the swift publication of test results to remove suspicions surrounding domestic products, and the restoration of the previous milk price to prevent farms from going bankrupt.

During the gathering, the farmers demanded that the state treat them “with dignity and respect.” It was also said there that “Vita’s milk belongs to Kosovo, not Serbia.”

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The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Development said in a statement that during this visit, two cooperation agreements were signed between the two respective ministries. Their aim is to strengthen institutional coordination, advance joint policies in the agri-food sector, and raise standards in food safety, veterinary services and phytosanitary measures.

The statement emphasizes that these agreements also include expanding cooperation in rural development, supporting farmers through agricultural policies and financial schemes, as well as alignment with European Union standards and practices.

Another priority of this cooperation will be the modernization of the sector through the digitalization of agricultural services, strengthening capacities in scientific research, innovation and the transfer of contemporary technologies, with the aim of increasing the sector’s efficiency and competitiveness.

According to the ministry, this cooperation represents an important step in strengthening the strategic partnership between Kosovo and Albania, helping the sustainable development of agriculture, increasing food security, and improving the well-being of rural communities in both countries.

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