Remarks on the Launch of New Market Information System

Remarks of USAID/Albania Mission Director, Roberta Mahoney
Launching of SITA Market Information System
January 30, 2009

Honorable Minister Gjana, distinguished ladies and gentlemen,

Today, we formalize the partnership between the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Consumer Protection and U.S. Mission in Albania to support the sustained development of Albania’s agriculture sector, reduce poverty, and help Albania’s economy grow, especially in the rural areas.

As we know so well, Albania is blessed with a natural endowment, climatic condition, geographic location, and human resources that give agriculture a comparative advantage in many areas. Thus, Albania has the attributes to become an important supplier of high quality agricultural products not only to the domestically but also to the regional and European Union markets.

The challenge is creating a competitive advantage as well.

To fully develop that potential of its natural comparative advantage, Albania’s agriculture sector must improve its productivity and competitiveness by strengthening the technical, managerial and commercial capacity of producers and other operators along the market chain for target products.

This will require a close and effective collaboration among all the stakeholders including the government agencies, research institutions, universities, extension services, associations, consolidators, traders, and farmers.

To be competitive, farmers and agribusinesses need timely and reliable market information to make informed decisions in developing sound production plans, profitable investments and effective marketing strategies.

The foundation of any market-based system is good information and data about products being bought and sold. The more information we can share, the more dynamic and competitive farmers and the market will become.

USAID’s Albanian Agriculture Competitiveness Program is designed to promote the sustained growth of Albania’s agriculture sector through improving productivity and competitiveness.

This program aims to develop and strengthen the linkages among all stakeholders in the sector and to establish a sustained market information system that will provide timely and reliable information.

In addition to making the information available and accessible, our program will train producers and other interested operators along the value chain on how to use the information for the benefits of their business.

Today, we have witnessed the signing of an agreement that outlines the ways USAID’s Albanian Agriculture Competitiveness Program will work with the Ministry to reach the goal of creating competitive commercial farms and a well-consolidated market chain to support growth in the sector.

Although we have worked closely with the Ministry this past year, we look forward to even greater collaboration in the future. As evidence of our partnership, I am pleased to announce with the Minister a new program—the Agribusiness Market Information System or SITA, its acronym in Albanian.

USAID, the Ministry, and organizations like Green Market will, through this system, be able to provide input suppliers, farmers, traders, processors with accurate and timely market prices and other information via email, SMS and periodic reports.

You will hear in a few moments more information about how the system works and about how you can receive daily updates.

I urge farmers and agribusinesses to use this system as one of many tools that will help them make good, smart business decisions and increase the efficiency and reliability of the system, and the value of Albania’s agriculture products.

This successful approach will help Albania’s economy grow, especially in rural areas which produces such wonderful produce.

I wish all the success to all the partners of this collaboration.