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Losses in agriculture due to frost/ Korça Municipality Councilors request for declaration of natural disaster

2025-04-14 20:10:00, Sociale CNA

Losses in agriculture due to frost/ Korça Municipality Councilors request

The councilors of the Municipality of Korça, in a letter sent to the mayor, the head of the council and the district prefect, request the declaration of a state of natural disaster. They also requested compensation for the farmers.

This request comes after the damage caused to fruit crops after the frosts of April 7-10, 2025. The request states that the losses in agricultural production are almost total.

 

Full request

Directed by:

To the Municipal Council of Korça Municipality
To the Mayor of Korça Municipality, Mr. Sotiraq Filo
To the Chairperson of the Korça Municipal Council, Ms. Ana Verushi
To the Prefect of Korça District, Mr. Nertil Jole
Subject: Request for the declaration of a state of natural disaster and compensation to farmers for the damages caused to fruit cultivation after the frosts of April 7-10, 2025.

We, the undersigned councilors of the Korça Municipal Council, address you by means of this letter to express our deep concern regarding the severe damage caused by the frosts of 7-10 April 2025, especially in fruit growing. During this period, our area was hit by extremely low temperatures (frosts), which caused catastrophic damage to the agricultural sector, especially in fruit growing. These unprecedented frosts have directly affected hundreds of farmers in the Municipality of Korça, putting their income and well-being at risk for the current year.

According to testing, field assessments, and interviews with affected farmers, agricultural production losses are almost total for several major crops. Specifically, the reported damages are as follows:

Cherries and plums: 100% of the production damaged (total loss).
Pears: 100% of the production damaged (total loss).
Apples (variety "Starking"): 60–70% of the production damaged (in some areas up to 100%).
Apples ("Golden"): 80–100% of the production damaged.
Apples ("Fuji"): 70–90% of the production damaged.
Apples ("Granny Smith"): up to 80% of the production damaged.
As can be seen, the situation is extremely serious. Practically, for most farmers in our area, this year's production has been completely destroyed within a few days. This means that the main source of income for their families has disappeared by a sudden natural disaster, without any fault or contribution on the part of the farmers. Such a level of damage constitutes a natural catastrophe for our rural community, with potential multidimensional consequences (social, economic, demographic).

We emphasize that, according to Law No. 45/2019 “On Civil Protection”, the event in question is classified as a natural disaster. This law defines “natural disaster” as phenomena caused by extreme natural phenomena, which also include extreme temperatures (as in the case of frost)? mod.gov.al. The law also stipulates that the “state of natural disaster” is the state of emergency declared by the Council of Ministers in order to prevent or alleviate the consequences of such a disaster ?mod.gov.al. In this specific case, the extent of the damage caused by the frost meets the conditions for declaring such an emergency, with the aim of immediately mobilizing state resources to deal with the situation.

We would like to bring to your attention that Law 45/2019 sanctions clear principles and obligations for situations like this. First, every citizen has the right to protection from natural disasters? mod.gov.al, which means that responsible institutions have the obligation to come to the aid of residents affected by the disaster. Second, the principle of subsidiarity applies in disaster management: the local self-government unit (municipality) tries to cope with emergency situations with its own forces, but if local capacities are insufficient, intervention and support from the highest levels of government are required? mod.gov.al. In our case, the damages suffered are so extensive and severe that they significantly exceed the financial and logistical capacities of the Municipality of Korça to cope with them only with local resources. This makes it necessary and legitimate for central authorities to intervene by declaring a state of natural disaster and activating special state emergency mechanisms.

Within the framework of institutional responsibilities, we recall that the municipality has the legal obligation to assess the damages and compensate the affected citizens. Article 30, letter gj) of Law 45/2019 obliges municipalities, after disasters occurring in their territory, to assess the damages and compensate the affected citizens ?mod.gov.al. For this reason, we request and expect that the Municipality of Korça immediately initiates the process of documenting and assessing the damages in detail in each of its administrative units. This will pave the way for providing the necessary compensation and will create the factual basis for declaring a state of emergency.

On the other hand, it must be guaranteed that the affected farmers are fully and urgently compensated, in order to cope with the consequences of this disaster. Law 45/2019 clearly provides for the mechanisms of financial compensation in such situations. According to Article 41, the Albanian state is responsible for the damages caused by disasters ?mod.gov.al, while the affected local units (municipalities) must initially use their emergency fund to compensate those affected? mod.gov.al. In the event that the damages exceed the financial capabilities of the municipality (as is happening in our case, given that the value of the lost production most likely exceeds the limits of the local budget), the law provides for the commitment of central funds. Specifically, when a state of natural disaster is declared, compensation can be made by a special decision of the Council of Ministers ?mod.gov.al (Article 41, point 5). This provision allows the Government to allocate special funds for compensation, without waiting for the following year's budget reallocations, ensuring immediate assistance to affected citizens. In accordance with this legal mechanism, the declaration of a state of natural disaster becomes a necessary condition for the Government to enable immediate and full compensation to our farmers.

In light of the above, we request that your institutions take the following immediate measures:

Declaring a state of natural disaster in the territory of the Municipality of Korça (and other surrounding areas affected), due to the extreme damage caused by the frosts of April 7-10, 2025. This declaration should be made as soon as possible, in accordance with legal procedures, in order to mobilize state emergency structures and the necessary funds to cope with the situation.
Taking immediate measures to compensate farmers affected by this disaster. It is required to provide full financial compensation for the loss of production and their annual income, using both local emergency funds and central financial instruments. This process should be carried out with full transparency and in coordination between the Municipality of Korça, the Municipal Council and central institutions (Prefecture and the National Civil Protection Agency), so that no damaged farmer is left without support.
We are aware that the situation is critical and requires an urgent response. Failure to take the proposed measures risks causing profound socio-economic consequences for our community. The loss of income for hundreds of farming families would create a ripple effect on the local economy, risking increased unemployment, the inability of farmers to meet financial obligations (such as agricultural loans or taxes), and could encourage the abandonment of agricultural activity and the migration of the population from rural areas. We trust in the understanding and responsibility of your institutions to respond immediately to this emergency. Any delay in reaction would worsen the situation and undermine citizens' trust in public institutions.

In conclusion, we call on you to take the necessary legal and administrative steps without delay to implement the above requests. The advisors signing this letter remain available for any further cooperation, whether in the damage assessment process or in facilitating communication with the farming community./ CNA

 

 





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