Albania to reform food safety for exports to EU

Albania will reform food safety to ensure domestic food security and Albanian exports to European Union (EU) countries, Albanian Agriculture Minister Edmond Panariti has said.

The EU is to focus more intensively on this reform, as the food security guarantee is a prerequisite for exports to the EU next year, Xinhua quoted Panariti as saying on Tuesday.

Panariti discussed with the EU ambassador to Tirana Romana Vlahutin the disbursement of $80 million of EU funding for the development and support of Albanian agriculture.

"We are Intending to start the first phase of disbursement of $14 million in the first six months of 2016, to provide assistance to farmers and rural areas' businesses," said the minister.

According to Panariti, the agricultural output of the first six months of 2015 rose by $40 million.