As the pandemic and Ukraine conflict have pushed up fertilizer prices, Albanian farmer Alban Cakalli has turned to coffee, one of the Balkan country’s great loves, to feed his fields.
The 38-year-old farmer owns only half a hectare in the city of Mamurras in north-western Albania, but cannot even afford the chemical fertilizers imported from abroad.
As in other parts of the world, Albania’s agricultural sector has been battered by rising costs, with fuel and fertilizer prices soaring after Russia, a major producer of both commodities, invaded Ukraine.
To curb spending, Cakalli has turned to coffee grounds, a natural fertilizer with readily available supplies in Albania, where drinking the caffeinated beverage remains a national pastime and cafes can be found on almost every corner.
On an average day, Cakalli says, he can collect up to 40 kilograms of coffee grounds.
“Albanians love coffee,” he told AFP from his farm.
The process is time-consuming and requires him to first collect the used beans before mixing the soil with herbs and later composting the brew for three months.
But the end product is “rich in nitrogen, magnesium and potassium and a good substitute for chemical fertilizers” and “repels insects,” Cakalli says.
Many of Albania’s 280,000 small farmers have reverted to similar traditional methods to enrich their soil, rather than pay higher prices for imported fertilizers.
– Quality matters –
According to experts, fertilizers and fuel account for more than 45 percent of the costs in the country’s agricultural production.
For decades, Albania has depended on imports for fertilizers after its factories were largely abandoned and derelict after the fall of its communist government in the early 1990s.
Russia was the top exporter of fertilizers to Albania last year, worth a total of $11 million, according to the UN Trade Database.
By switching to coffee grounds, Cakalli says he saves between €1,500 and €2,000 ($1,550 to $2,070) a year.
As Covid disrupted world trade, it has also diversified its activities in this area.
He is now focused on growing exotic crops – including passion fruit and goji berries – after importing the fruit from South America was halted during the pandemic when demand began to rise.
“These fruits were in high demand because they are known to boost the immune system and are known for their antioxidant properties,” says his wife Juli, a 34-year-old nurse.
This year alone, Cakalli has harvested half a tonne of passion fruit, which sells for around 15 euros a kilo – a hefty sum in Albania, where the average wage is 460 euros.
“People like them very much, their smell is fantastic and even better than that of the countries of origin because everything is fresh here,” says Cakalli.
Alban Zusi, an entrepreneur who makes organic fertilizer from animal waste in northern Albania’s Lezha, said the price hike has also brought a “silver lining” and allowed farmers to go back to their roots.
Others in the industry tend to agree.
“Despite the difficulties, there is no lack of opportunities,” says Fatmir Ndoji, chef at a well-known farm-to-table restaurant in the region. “To create culinary delights, quality counts.”
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