TİKA Establishes a Collection Center for Grape Producers in Kosovo

Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) has established a collection center in the city of Gjilan, Kosovo, to support grape producers in the region.

The opening ceremony was attended by Türkiye’s Ambassador to Pristina, Sabri Tunç Angılı; TİKA’s Coordinator in Pristina, Fulya Aslan; Gjilan Mayor, Alban Hyseni; President of the Kosovo Grape Association, Kujtim Lepaja; as well as many local farmers.

In his speech, Ambassador Angılı emphasized the importance of the project, stating: “Food security is a critical issue for many nations, including Kosovo. We realized this even more clearly during the pandemic. Therefore, projects like this are of great importance in contributing to Kosovo’s food security.”

TİKA’s Coordinator in Pristina, Aslan, also highlighted the agency’s contributions, saying: “As TİKA, we carry out numerous projects to support rural development and improve the agricultural sector in Kosovo. Over the past 11 years, we have implemented 11 projects across different regions of the country to strengthen grape production. In Gjilan, products harvested under this project will be quickly frozen and stored, ensuring no loss of quality or yield. The project aims to increase household incomes and export opportunities for grape producers while contributing to the national economy.”

Gjilan Mayor Alban Hyseni said, “As a municipality, we have signed important projects to contribute to grape production. However, when we initiated this project, our main goal was to ensure sustainability. We have seen that true sustainability can only be achieved through the support of farmers. Thus, with TİKA’s support, all the links in this chain have been completed.”

Kosovo Grapes Association President Lepaja said, “TİKA’s support will play an important role in the cultivation of grapes, particularly raspberries. With proper infrastructure, production in this sector increases significantly. This collection center has a storage capacity of 20 tons at a time, amounting to up to 200 tons over the course of a year. In this way, around 50 hectares of land in and around Gjilan can be effectively utilized.”