KOPLIK, ALBANIA –  USAID/Albania Representative, Marcus Johnson, and U.S. military representatives inaugurated today a metallic storage building donated by the U.S. military to members of the “LUJZ” Association, a farmer’s group for Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (MAPs) in Malesi e Madhe in northern Albania. One of the key challenges for MAP cultivators and processors has been the need for more storage facilities to protect their herbs and spices from contamination which lowers the quality and value of the plants when sold. This building will be used to address these concerns by providing a clean, dry area to process and store collected plants. The farmers’ association received a $20,000 grant from USAID/Albania to purchase custom-designed and built drying racks to further reduce contamination. 

Medicinal and aromatic plants are the most important Albanian export that is produced domestically, currently estimated to account for between US$27-28 million annually. The herbs and spice sector also provides income to thousands of families who collect and harvest wild and cultivated plants, cleaning and storing them. Current estimates are that over 100,000 families are involved in the sector, and in Northern Albania, it is estimated that MAP farming makes up close to 35 percent of household income. As well, Albania is particularly rich in indigenous species of MAPs – a full fifteen percent of its 360 species are of medicinal, aromatic, or spice value.

In order to increase the competitiveness of Albanian MAPs, USAID and its local partner, AAC-Lushnja, an Albanian NGO, are implementing a series of production and market development activities in the region, including supporting the “LUJZ” association to obtain bio-certification of plants, as well to increase the number of MAPs that are being grown for commercial use.

The building donation was made possible by the “donation in lieu of abandonment” program of Camp Bondsteel in Kosovo which has given hundreds of metallic storage units across the Balkans. The first donation was done to the Xarra Citrus Association in 2014. This is the second donation to the “LUJZ” Association. USAID, through its agriculture support program, and AAC-Lushnja are working with several farmers and agribusiness associations to increase the competitiveness of Albania’s agriculture commodity value chains.