Analiza Posted on 2026-05-20 11:47:00

Albanians were fed with imported meat in April/ The second highest value is recorded. Brazil dominates with 45% of the weight

From Xhorxhina Deda

Albanians were fed with imported meat in April/ The second highest value is

Albania is increasingly relying on imported meat, at a time when domestic production is shrinking and the livestock sector is gradually losing production capacity.

Official data shows that during April 2026, imports of meat and edible offal reached about 894 million lekë, the second highest historical level ever recorded for a month in 20 years. The record remains July 2025, when imports reached about 950 million lekë.

The increase is not only related to prices, but also to imported quantities. In April, the weight of meat imported from abroad reached over 5 million kilograms, the highest level in recent years. This shows that the Albanian market is increasingly relying on imported supplies to cover domestic demand.

In parallel, the average price of imported meat has also increased. Data shows that the average price per kilogram reached about 178.6 lekë in April 2026, from about 153.4 lekë per kilogram in the same month a year earlier.

While a few years ago monthly meat imports typically fluctuated between 400 and 600 million lek, over the past two years they have been increasingly approaching record levels. This suggests a deeper shift in the supply structure of the domestic market.

The increase in imports comes at a time when domestic production is trending in the opposite direction. According to data, total meat production in Albania fell to around 130,000 tons in 2024, the lowest level recorded in the last two decades.

After peaking at over 161,000 tons in 2018, domestic production has been in steady decline. During the 2018-2024 period alone, meat production fell by more than 31,000 tons, or about 19%.

The decline in production is related to shrinking livestock numbers, higher farm costs, emigration from rural areas, and difficulties in maintaining profitable livestock activity.

In April, Brazil was the main supplier of imports for this product category, accounting for about 45% of the total. It was followed by the United States with 12.5%, Italy with 8.2% and Greece with 8%, while Paraguay held about 6.3% of imports. The rest of the market was divided between other countries such as Serbia, Spain, the Netherlands and North Macedonia, with significantly smaller shares.

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