Farmers’ corn from Maliq remains in stock, while Serbian corn is being sold on the market

Farmers growing cereals in the village of Sheqeras in Maliq are once again facing a lack of market for their production this year. More than 60% of the corn produced remains unsold, and farmers’ warehouses are still filled with stock.

Farmer Shkëlqim Malo explains that after harvesting the corn in October 2025, they were able to sell only a small portion of the yield. After that period, according to him, traders have shown no further interest in purchasing. Currently, the wholesale price of corn ranges from 30 to 33 lek per kilogram. Meanwhile, imported corn is also circulating in the market, sold at a slightly lower price, but according to the farmers, it does not match the quality of the local production.

The situation is expected to worsen further during this agricultural season. Malo says that part of the planted fields were flooded during the winter, causing significant damage and lowering expectations for this year’s production.

Farmer Luftim Gishto is in the same situation. He still has around 2,000 kilograms of unsold corn and says he is considering giving up farming and renting out his land.

According to data from the Directorate of Agriculture, over 3,500 hectares in the Maliq plain are planted with wheat, producing around 14,000 tons. The area planted with corn is almost the same, with a production of about 24,000 tons.

While local corn production remains in stock, imported corn continues to circulate in the Albanian market. Just one day ago, the National Food Authority filed a criminal report against the company “Modi” in Shkodër after it was found to have sold 94.5 tons of imported corn from Serbia contaminated with aflatoxin.

Initially, 104 tons of corn were blocked, but during inspections it was found that the blocking marks had been damaged, leaving only 9.5 tons in storage. The remaining 94.5 tons are suspected to have already been distributed in the market.

The main concern is the lack of traceability of this product. So far, it has not been disclosed where the contaminated corn ended up, which livestock farms may have used it, and whether dairy products made from it could pose a health risk to consumers due to high aflatoxin levels.

“KORÇA BOOM”