KORCA, OCTOBER 13, 2012     USAID/Albania Mission Director, Mr. Jim Barnhart, Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Genc Ruli, delivered remarks today at the Korca Apple Festival held in Mançurisht village in Proger.  The festival is organized by USAID’s Albanian Agriculture Competitiveness (AAC) program in collaboration with the Korça’s Regional Directorate of Agriculture. The event aims to promote apple as a produce-mark of the Korça region.

More than 200 apple growers, traders, and processors participated in the two-day festival which included an apple judging contest, a tour of the Muso Brother’s Apple Orchard and cold storage facility, and a seminar on how to support the future development of Korca’s apple industry.  USAID has assisted farmers in the region for the past five years to improve the production, marketing, and competitiveness of Korca’s apples.

While in Korca, Barnhart also visited other USAID supported projects, including the telemedicine and hospital improvement project at the Korca Regional Hospital, the District Court in Korca, and a small grant recipient who developed Dardha’s first eco-trail.  Barnhart also met with the Mayor of Korca, Niko Peleshi, to discuss USAID’s project to support the Municipality.  He stayed at Life Gallery Hotel, a gold medal recipient of the Authentic Albania Quality Mark Program, established with USAID assistance, to support tourism development in Albania.