In 1992, peasants took control of formerly collectivized land and
livestock. Many collective farms (farms held by the state and worked by
citizens) were looted, orchards were cut down for firewood, and
agricultural
output collapsed by almost half. Much of the irrigation works and
greenhouses of the communist regime were looted. Under private
ownership, agriculture picked up and by 1995, production was above the
1990 level. Serious problems facing farmers are the lack of technology
and the tiny size of land holdings. In 1999, 42 percent of farms used
animal and manpower alone. Self-sufficiency, forced on farmers by the
communist prohibition of private trade, is high. In 1999, 48.5 percent
of farm households bought no outside food. International lenders, such
as the World Bank, the EU, and the U.S. Agency for International
Development (USAID), have financed repairs and drainage projects, but
the consolidation of small farm plots into larger and more efficient
units has been slow. Albania imports basic foods (worth Lk3.8 billion in
1999, up from Lk3.7 billion in 1998), yet agriculture provides the
livelihood for the majority of the population. Crops include wheat,
corn, olives, sugar beets, cotton, sunflower seeds, tobacco, potatoes,
and fruits. The livestock population was estimated in the early 1990s as
including some 500,000 cattle, 1 million sheep, and 170,000 pigs.
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