The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), with the support and funding of the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO, organized the First National Forum on Quality and Standards.
The National Forum on Quality and Standards #2023 aims to encourage constructive communication about the need to create a quality culture for manufacturers, institutions and final consumers.
In the speech held at this meeting, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Anila Denaj said that, "increasing the quality and standards of agricultural products remains essential in the sustainable development of agri-food production; the integration of innovation in agriculture, the unification of operators and the realization of the objective of 1 billion USD Albanian exports in 2030".
According to her, in recent years, Albania has experienced a deep economic transformation, marking significant growth in the agricultural sector and a significant expansion of tourism with a direct impact on the agricultural economy.
"Albanian companies need to comply with international and European standards to increase their competitiveness. You cannot enter the European market without first meeting European standards," said Swiss Ambassador Ruth Huber.
Dorina Nati, coordinator of GQSP in Vienna, said that: "Albania has expressed a great ambition to join the high goals of quality and standards. Small and medium producers must be well informed about innovations and digitalization, which not only increases productivity in quantity but also in quality and standard.
The Global Program for Quality and Standards brought together leaders of law enforcement institutions and interest groups, where emphasis was placed on the importance of supporting small and medium-sized enterprises on increasing quality and standards through digitalization of sectors.
The GQSP program is part of a global initiative supporting 12 countries around the world to increase domestic manufacturing potential and raise quality and safety standards. It is implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and financed by the Swiss State, through the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO).
