Among the main problems that continue to harm farmers and the sector’s competitiveness are low subsidies for agriculture and livestock compared with countries in the region, high production costs, a lack of irrigation infrastructure, and the removal of excise-free diesel.

Because of these difficulties, farmers and livestock breeders have warned that they will resume protests at the beginning of September if the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development does not take their demands into account.

During the first week of September, representatives of farmers and livestock breeders are expected to submit a series of demands to the Ministry of Agriculture, mainly concerning the national agricultural scheme, subsidies, VAT and production costs.

According to members of the Association of Dairy-Producing Livestock Breeders, one of the main demands will be a review of the national scheme, particularly the removal of thresholds for receiving direct reimbursements for livestock.

Livestock breeders will also demand that the subsidy for cows be increased from 12,000 to 20,000 lek per head, that VAT be reduced, and that the labeling of domestic dairy products be regulated, as these products are made with fresh but imported milk.

If these demands are not reflected in the fiscal changes and the national scheme for 2027, farmers are warning of protests.

According to them, there is now discussion of having tractors take part in the protest, taking the fulfillment of their demands beyond the usual forms of protest that farmers have organized in the past.

Subsidies and excise-free diesel remain the farmers’ main demands.

For livestock breeders, the main issue remains the difference in state support compared with countries in the region. Dashamir Çela, who runs a farm with 60 cows in the village of Samaticë in Berat, has stated that the lack of competitiveness is making it increasingly difficult to continue the activity.

According to him, livestock farming is going through its most difficult period. The lack of competitiveness is one of the main problems faced by the few livestock breeders who remain in the country.

We produce at high cost because of a number of problems affecting the sector, ranging from the high price of diesel and the lack of irrigation canals to low subsidies.

He emphasizes that, currently, a livestock breeder in Serbia receives direct subsidies of 350 euros per cow, as well as 16 lek for every liter of milk produced. In total, a livestock breeder with a farm similar in size to his receives 45,000 euros in subsidies per year.

With such support, the farmer in Serbia and other countries in the region has a profit guaranteed by the state. As a result, he sells milk more cheaply than the Albanian farmer, almost at the level of production costs.

Meanwhile, we receive only 12,000 lek in subsidies per cow and, following the latest changes to the scheme, subsidies for calves have been eliminated.

He says that a review of subsidies—which would mean increasing their amount and removing thresholds for the number of animals—remains one of the sector’s main demands, for which a solution is being sought through fiscal interventions in the drafting of the draft budget and the upcoming fiscal package.

According to livestock breeders, these differences with countries in the region are directly affecting milk prices and processors’ supplies.

According to agricultural experts in Kosovo, subsidies reach 600 euros per cow. In North Macedonia, farmers receive 250 euros per cow, plus 10 lek per liter of cow’s milk produced. In total, annual support for milk reaches around 900 euros.

This difference in the level of direct subsidies, together with high animal-feed costs and the high price of diesel for cultivating the land, continues to create double pressure on domestic farmers: on the one hand, their expenses are rising, while on the other, they are unable to compete with producers from the region.

In March this year, the government reviewed the national agricultural scheme. One of the most widely discussed changes was the removal of excise-free diesel, a scheme that had been in force since 2021.

The Ministry of Agriculture argued that the benefits for farmers would be replaced by a new scheme providing for the reimbursement of 10% of the VAT paid on agricultural inputs through self-invoices for purchases issued by processors.

On the other hand, the changes led to an increase in the amount of some direct subsidies and a reduction in the animal-number thresholds for receiving them.

While a livestock breeder received a direct subsidy of 10,000 lek in 2025, in 2026, under the approved changes, they receive 12,000 lek per head. Meanwhile, support for small livestock increased from 1,200 to 1,500 lek.

The new scheme also halved the thresholds for the number of animals on a farm required to receive subsidies. The threshold for farms with cows was lowered from at least 10 cows to at least 5 cows, while for small livestock the threshold was reduced from 100 to 50 head.

However, farmers and livestock breeders did not welcome these changes; they are seeking greater support and measures that, they say, would guarantee the competitiveness of domestic production.

At the beginning of April, hundreds of farmers protested outside the Ministry of Agriculture. Their main demands included the reinstatement of excise-free diesel and an increase in subsidies for cows.

The removal of the diesel scheme came at a time when fuel and agricultural-input costs were rising, adding to the pressure on farmers.

After several hours of protest, a delegation of farmers met with the ministers of Agriculture and Finance, where they discussed the possibility of reviewing and addressing the demands during September.

Sector representatives have stated that they want the changes to be reflected before the fiscal package and draft budget for 2027 are prepared. Otherwise, the protests could reappear, this time with a broader demand for lower costs and increased support for the domestic sector.

The post Farmers warn of protests in September, demand excise-free diesel and subsidies appeared first on Albeu.com.