1. Agricultural Market Information System

2. What Has Been Done Before o Introduction of a new statistical methodology at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Consumer Protection (USAID’s SARA Project, 1995 – 2000) o Establishment of a price collection mechanism at wholesale markets (GTZ / USAID’s ACIT; 2003 – 2006) o Creation of an online outlet with market information, wholesale prices, export and import figures (www.albamis.com) (GTZ & ACIT; until 2006;www.albamis.com currently inactive)

3. Objectives: o Provide timely, reliable and accurate market information o Enable access to a variety of information sources o Build capacities of farmers, traders and processors to use market information effectively

4. Scope of Commodities o High value fruit and vegetables (initially) o All fruit and vegetables (eventually) o Livestock & dairy products (possibly) Target Users o Farmers & producer groups o Traders (domestic, exporters, importers) o Processors & input suppliers

5. MIS Components 2. Processing/ Analysis 1. Collection 3. Dissemination 4. Capacity Building & Training (for MIS staff & end-users)

6. MIS Implementing Partners Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Consumer Protection GreenMarket Albania USAID’s AAC Program Role: Collection of Price, Volume, Surface and Yield data Role: Processing, Analysis, Primary & Secondary Research Role: Online & TV dissemination Role: Online & TV dissemination

7. Collection 1. Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Consumer Protection (MoAFCP) 1a. Statistical Department (Information Specialists; 4) 1b. Regional Agricultural Directorates (all districts; 2-3 staff per Directorate) 1c. Information Centers at commune level (15-20) 2. Wholesale Markets (5-8) 3. AAC Offices (3)

8. Processing & Analysis oTakes place at the AAC Processing Center (Main Database Server & MIS Team) oData flows in from the MoAFCP, wholesale markets and AAC offices oAdditional secondary data and desk research oInformation packages prepared for dissemination

9. Dissemination 1.SMS Platform 2.Online Portal 3.Print & Publications 4.TV & Teletext Daily info to farmers in more remote locations Daily info & market analysis to traders, exporters, importers, buyers & farmers Periodical info & market analysis to traders, exporters, buyers and farmers Daily & Periodical info to traders and farmers

10. Types of Market Information TypeLevelProduct Origin PriceFarmgate, Wholesale, Retail,Import, Domestic VolumeFarmgate, WholesaleImport, Domestic Market NewsFarmgate, Wholesale, Retail, Consumer Import, Domestic Analysis & Forecasts Farmgate, Wholesale, Retail, Consumer Import, Domestic Weather & ClimateFarmgateImport, Domestic SurveysWholesale, Retail, ConsumerDomestic

11. Expected Final Results o Informed Business Decisions o Empowerment in Negotiating o Increased Sales & Exports o Improved Profit Margins o Efficient Marketing Channels o Increased Income

12. Thank You