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Adolfo Rosati Report of the mission in Kosovo, 15-23/07/2013 Pag. 1

Report of the Mission of

Adolfo Rosati

Kosovo, 15-23/07/2013


1. Mainlines

Mission specifications

Duration: 05-23/07/2013 (9days)

Targets

With regard to the territorial system subtended by the geographic area of the Municipality of Dragash (Republic of Kosovo), in the frame of the extension of the Grant Service Contract established between UNDP-Kosovo and Eurada,

- on the basis of the actual knowledge related to the territorial Forest value chain, - according to the strategic guidelines shared with the local actors of the value chain, - with the aim of implementing the strategic interventions FOIPB01, - considering the need to quickly improve the skills of the local actors of the forest value chain,

acquiring an adequate set of information in order to produce a Calendar/map, a Survey of the sustainable productions and a Training Plan for the forest production activities of Dragash.

Activities

Carrying out a technical scientific assessment, coherently with the target of the mission.

Identifying the training needs of the local actors involved in the Forest value chain.

Boundary conditions

The activities must be carried out involving as much as possible the local actors (producers, administrations, service providers, etc.), with a triple aim:

- to generate awareness on the importance of the “territory as resource per se” for a sustainable development, - to generate “ownership” towards common problems and common solutions, - to promote cooperation.

The definition of the sustainable potentialities and of the constrains of the value chains must also consider the need to improve the service system necessary to support the local economy, in function of the existing delivery capacities and emergent new demand.

Expected results

Acquisition of an adequate set of information in order to elaborate: 1) a Calendar/map and a Survey of the sustainable productions for the forest products, through identifying and describing, in

qualitative and quantitative terms, the biodiversity of interest for the forest productions (kinds of ecosystems, their extensions, their potential productivity if used both as gathering fields and as sites of sustainable farming) of the geographic area of Dragash, in order to evaluate the possibilities of sustainably increasing the global quantity of production, the variety of production, and the general quality level of the products;

2) a Training Plan for the local actors involved in the Forest value chain, to be implemented during the next mission of the expert in Dragash.

Definition of follow-up activities.


2. Activities

2.1. The target area

Since the activities were aimed at promoting sustainable development of the Forest Value Chain in the municipality of Dragash (South Kosovo), most activities were carried out in this target area. However, whenever appropriate, the activities were carried out also in other areas in Kosovo, where better organized farmers, or potentially interested stakeholder, could positively interact with stakeholders in Dragash.

2.2. Methodological approach

The activities were carried out through an action-research process aimed at identifying:

the current productive characteristics and conditions of the Forest value chain of Dragash,

kinds and conditions of the existing ecosystems considered as sites of sustainable production of non-wood forest products,

the current extent and the potential of the Dragash territory for the cultivation of some of the products and the possible shift from gathering to cultivation,

the potential market of the non-wood forest products,

the basic training needs of the local actors.

2.3. Operational organization

The main activities were:

Field Surveys and farmers/gatherers interviews

Meetings with local and non-local stakeholders (actual and perspective)

Daily desk analysis of collected information

Gathering and desk analysis of other available data previously published

A detailed diary of the activities carried out during the mission is attached at the end of this document.

2.3.1. Field Surveys and farmers/gatherers interviews

Field survey included visits to both cultivated fields where farmers are growing small fruits (i.e. raspberry, blueberry, woodland strawberry Fragaria vesca) as an alternative to gathering them from the wild, as well as surveys of natural wild areas where wild fruits/mushrooms are gathered.

Goals:

assess the current extent and potential of the production

assess the knowledge and skills of the operators

assess the training needs for farmers/gatherers

2.3.2. Meetings with local and non-local stakeholders (actual and perspective)

Even though the goal was to promote sustainable development in the Dragash municipality, any potential market to be exploited is likely to be at a larger scale. Therefore interviews with local as well as non-local stakeholders were pursued anytime it was considered potentially useful for the marketing and exploitation of the current and perspective products of the Dragash Forest Vlue Chain. The stakeholders visited and interviewed, aside from farmers and gatherers, included local and non-local, current or perspective buyers and processors of wild fruits and mushrooms, as well as administrators and academics.

Goal:

assess the current market of the forest value chain products


assess the potential of new perspective markets for the forest value chain products

assess the necessity/possibility of connecting the marketing stakeholders with farmers and gatherers of the Dragash municipality though specific sessions of the training activities, such as open forums.

2.3.3. Daily desk analysis of collected information

Data and information gathered were processed daily to make sure that no useful information was lost. Also, the information gathered daily, needed immediate processing in order to make decisions and guide the activities to be carried out the following days. As knowledge on the local system and economy increased with daily activities, further actions could be better planned and exploited.

Goal:

exploit the information gathered at the best level possible

2.3.4. Gathering and desk analysis of other available data previously published

Some good information relevant to this value chain already existed and it was essential to find out as much information as possible and to process it in order to extract the useful parts and integrate them with the rest of the information gathered though the activ ities carried out.

Goal:

exploit the information already available at the best level possible


3. Results

3.1. Extent of the productive areas of the forest value chain in Dragash

An inventory of Kosovo’s natural resources (i.e. medicinal and Aromatic Plants, or MAP, and Wild Berries or WB), compiled by professor Fadil Millaku of university of Pristina, reports the following for the areas of the Sharri mountains, which include the Dragash area:

The northern parts of the Sharri Mountains belong to Kosovo and include a surface of 1100km² or around 1/10 of the overall surface of Kosovo. The line going through mountain peaks represents the delineation border that is part of the interstate border between Kosovo and Macedonia. The Sharri Mountains through the valley of Lepenc river (Siriniq) joins with the Kosovo Plane while through the valley of Lumbardh river of Prizren joins with the Dukagjini Plane. Major part of this wealth belongs to the state sector and a smaller part to the private sector. Before the war citizens of this region were engaged with livestock farming and collection of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants. Regions of Dragash, Gora and Opoja used to be typical livestock breeding places. This region was known also for collection of MAP and WB that was done by cooperatives in an institutional and controlled manner. In years after the war collection was spontaneous, unorganized and uncontrolled by the respective state institutions. This has resulted with damages and reduction of the MAP stock. Certain species like Gentiana lutea and Gentiana punctata have almost disappeared.

The Sharri Mountains include areas that are declared as natural reserves or zones of special interest. In these areas grow many MAP and WB that are important for socioeconomic development of these territories. Harvest of MAP and WB in these areas should be strictly controlled in order not to impoverish the biodiversity. The proper natural reserves in Sharri Mountains are the following: - Arnen’s Peak (ex Popovo Prase) – that is composed of pure Bosnian Pine (Pinetus heldreichii) forests, that is in Prevallë - Oshlak dominated by Pinus heldreichii, - Pisha e Madhe that extends in the south-east hillsides of Koxhaballkan, respectively in the western part of the National Park having a surface of 44 ha, and - Rusenica that is the habitat of the Balkans Lynx (Lynx balcanicus).

Areas of a special natural value are the following: Pashallarë (Ostrovica) – area of high mountains (1600m-2092m); Koplica is a lime region of high mountains, with rare flora and fauna Region that is the source of the Lumbardh River of Prizren is Luboten (2496 m) and it has a very rich flora. Livadhi i mbretit [King’s Meadow] – Jazhinca’s Lake.

MAP and WB in the Sharri Mountains are divided based on the territory that belongs to 6 municipalities that extend in these mountains, even Inventory of MAP and WB 14 (34) though individual and big collectors of MAP and WB do not respect these administrative boundaries. Dragash is the municipality with highest potential of MAP and WB, and is better organized.

Despite being better organized for the collection of MAPs and WBs, the organization is still minimal and needs support.

From the same inventory we learn the estimated quantities of some products. The table below shows the species and products relevant to the forest value chain (products of the forest value chain are highlighted in green, while species reported in the table as medicinal products, but with potentially marketable edible fruits are marked in yellow):

Kg of Medicinal and Aromatic plants and Wild berries available in Dragash

(modified from Prof. Fadil Millaku)

Scientific name

Achillea millefolium (H) 10,500

Aconitum napelus (R) 550

Allium ursinum (R,H) 3,090

Arctostaphyllos uva-ursi (Fol) 6,000

Arthemisia vulg.(H) 6,000

Atropa belladona (Fol) 240

Bellis perennis (Fl) 4,000

Betua pendula (Fol) 1,525,000

Carlina acaulis (R) 4,500

Centaurium erythrea (H) 5,500

Cichorium intibus (R) 11,400


Cornus mas (Fr) 24,960

Corylus avellana (Fr) 6,500

Crataegus monogyna (Fl-Fol) 14,750

Digitalis lanata (Fol) 2100

Epilobium angustifolium (Fol) 12,000

Equisetum arvense (H) 4,000

Fragaria vesca (Fol) 9,000

Fraxinus ornus (Fl) 7,500

Galium verum (H) 24,680

Gentiana asclepiadea (R) 5,500

Gentiana punctata (R) 6,000

Geranium macrorrhizum (R) 9,800

Geranium robertianum (H) 9,000

Hypericum alpigenum (H) 4,000

Hypericum perforatum (H) 18,400

Juniperus communis (Fr) 145,700

Juniperus nana (Fr) 36,000

Juniperus oxycedrus (F) 1,200

Leucanthemum vulgare 4,400

Malus sylvestris (F) 49,280

Malva sylvestris (Fl) 2,800

Mentha longifolia (Fol) 11,000

Orchis morio (B) 900

Origanum vulgare (H) 19,000

Petasites albus (R) 9,000

Petasites hybridus (R) 20,000

Primal elatior 1,600

Primula veris (FL) 2,600

Prunus spinosa (Fr) 1,100

Pteridium aquilinum (R) 80,000

Pyrus sp. 2,000

Robinia pseudoacacia(Fl) 14,700

Rosa sp. (Fr) 62,500

Rubus fruticosus (Fr) 10,000

Rubus idaeus (Fr) 8,000

Salix alba 6,500

Sambucus nigra (Fl) 8,500

Tanacetum vulgare 3,500

Taraxacum officinale (Fol) 17,000

Teucrium chamaedrys (H) 10,000

Teucrium monthanum 8,000

Thymus sp. (H) 21,100

Tilia cordata (Fl) 3,200

Tussilago farfara (Fol.) 8,000

Urtica dioica (R) 39,600

Vaccinium myrtillus (Fr) 245,000

Veratrum album. (R) 28,000

Verbascum thapsus (Fl) 14,700

Veronica officinalis (H) 11,000

Viola tricolor (Fl) 2,400

Viscum album 5,000

Total Kg


Additional fruits not reported in the above table are:

wild plum (Prunus cerasifera) or mirobolan, with either red or yellow fruits

service tree (Sorbus domestica), with interesting fruits, but very rare, though potentially cultivable

chestnut (Castanea sativa), with edible nuts for both food and feed

oaks (Quercus spp.), with fruits used as feed, but with potential for some food uses.

Another largely available product is mushrooms. Many edible species are present, such as Coprinus comatus or Lycoperdon spp., but a complete list would require much more extensive exploration of the territory. However, the most interesting ones are probably the ones already harvested, which include, apparently (based on information provided by gatherers and collectors) three species of Boletus (Porcini), Chanterelles (Cantharellus cibarius and C. sp.) and, occasionally, when present (abundant this year after a forest fire!), Morels (Morchella conica, Morchella spp.). It remains to be explored whether or not there are any truffle species (Tuber spp.). Some gatherers claim to have found them, but no evidence has been gathered yet.

3.2. Currently exploited products of the forest value chain

The forest value chain products currently harvested and exploited, from wild or cultivated plants, include:

Fruits

- Blueberries (Vaccinium myrtillus) from wild plants - Raspberries (Rubus idaeus) mostly from cultivated plants

- Rose hips (Rosa canina and R. spp.) from wild plants - Wild apples (Malus sylvestris) from wild plants - Wild plums (Prunus cerasifera) from wild or semi-wild (hedges of fields) plants - Wild strawberry (Fragaria vesca) from wild plants - Wild blackberry (Rubus ulmifolius, R. spp.)

Mushrooms:

- Porcini (Boletus edulis, Boletus ssp.) - Chanterelles (Cantharellus cibarius, Cantharellus spp.) - Morels (Morchella conica, Morchella esculenta, Morchella spp.)

All the above mushrooms (except Morchella spp.) are symbiotic species and can live only in symbiosis with some tree species, requiring the preservation of the forest and a controlled harvest in order to survive. At the moment, none of the above mushrooms can be reliably cultivated.

Other species currently not used

There are few other potentially interesting species in the Dragash territory that could provide income, gathering from the wild or by cultivation, that appear not to be used at present. Among these, cornelian cherry (Cornus mas), mulberry (Morus spp.), oak (Quercus spp.), chestnut (Castanea sativa) and hazelnut (Corylus avellana). Other berries, including red/white current (Ribes rubrum), black current (Ribes nigrum), gooseberry (Ribes grossularia) and the highbush or american blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) could be cultivated in Dragash.

Below, more detail descriptions of the current situation/future potential for each species are given.

3.2.1. Blueberries

At the moment only wild blueberries from wild plants (bilberry: Vaccinium myrtillus) are gathered. One farmer planted few (i.e. 50) plants of cultivated (thus not local) blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum) to test the feasibility of growing the plants, with much larger-sweeter fruits, easier to pick and handle. The wild bilberry fruits are of greater value for the extraction of medicinal chemicals (anthocyanins). In fact, bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) is one of the richest natural sources of anthocyanins. These polyphenolic components give bilberry its blue/black colour and high antioxidant content, and they are believed to be the key bioactive compounds responsible for the many reported health benefits of bilberry and other berry fruits. Although bilberry is promoted most commonly for improving vision, it has been reported to


lower blood glucose, to have anti-inflammatory and lipid-lowering effects, and to promote antioxidant defense and lower oxidative stress. Therefore, bilberry is of potential value in the treatment or prevention of conditions associated with inflammation, dyslipidemia, hyperglycemia or increased oxidative stress, cardiovascular disease (CVD), cancer, diabetes, and dementia and other age-related diseases.

However, harvesting such berries from the wild is labour intensive, and the fruits get easily damaged when harvested with combs. Such fruits should be destined to a high-price market for the extraction of anthocyanins. Most of the fruit harvested in Dragash is apparently sold to a single collector (Hit Flores) which freezes them in bulk (low quality) and sells them to Serbia. It is not clear whether the fruit is used for extraction of medicinal substances or for food products, but the price obtained by the harvesters is fairly low (apparently around 1,8 €/kg). Very small quantities are sold in local markets, but with primitive marketing abilities. The berries are usually sold in plastic (not necessarily food grade material) buckets, in bulk, with no packaging and no refrigeration. The berries are therefore manipulated several times between harvesting and consumption and the produce is usually somewhat bruised, squeezed and impure. No processing or other value add ing activities occur. The price in the Dragash local market was around 4€/kg, but, again, the quantities sold are very small. Most local people probably harvest their own produce from the wild so they do not buy this product.

Wild blueberries (bilberries) in Dragash municipality

Bilberries sold in the Dragash market in simple buckets

Hit Flores apparently collects about 300 tons of bilberries annually. This value is a bit larger than the 245 tons estimated in the inventory of prof. Millaku fro teh Dragash municipality. Aside from possible imprecision in the estimation, this is probably due to the fact that Hit Flores buys produce also from outside Dragash. The total bilberry production estimated in the inventory for the Sharri mountains is 519 tons, and for the whole of Kosovo, 822 tons.

Aside from Hit Flores, no other buyer of bilberries seems available for the Dragash collectors. Bilberries are too expensive for jam making, so the local (Prisren) ABI&ELIF19 company, making fruit jams, no longer buys them because the bilberry price is too high and their jam is sold at a much too low price (1,00€/870g) with no added value for a natural, organic, berry with high nutritional/health value. While declaring a future interest, this company does not seem interested in investing in higher price/value products at the moment, and does not seem to provide an immediate possibility of better market for the Dragash farmers/collectors.

3.2.2. Raspberries

While there is some raspberry collection from the wild plants (Rubus idaeus), most raspberries sold are from cultivated fields. Apparently several NGO have provided local farmers with some raspberry plants (selected varieties, not local germplasm) and quite few farmers have learned to cultivate this species. Some farmers have then expanded a bit, while others do not find it convenient due to the low price paid for the fruits, and tend to maintain, but in poor condition, the initial plots.

The berries are sold mostly to Hit Flores, who apparently pays anywhere between 1,2 and 1,7 €/kg. The produce is again frozen in bulk and sold to Serbia.


Raspberry growing is apparently all organic de facto (not certified), with or without irrigation. Most farmers use manure as a form of fertilization. There seem to be no concern about pests or diseases at the moment. The area appears particularly suitable to the cultivation of this crop, but better marketing is essential. In a close area outside Dragash municipality (Municipality of Sterpce, village Brezovica), other more organized farmers have joined in a farmer association/cooperative with 47 active members, growing a total of 22 ha of raspberries. Despite the distance from Dragash, the associated farmers apparently sell to the same Hit Flores company for 2,20-2,30 €/kg (50-90% more than farmers in Dragash). And the buyer sends its own trucks to collect the berries. The associated farmers spend lees for their crop since they order inputs (manure, plants, etc.) jointly, making scale economy and saving. Higher contracting power and consequent higher price, and lower expenditure with scale economies apparently make the difference and this association is planning to expand, while some farmers in Dragash did not find raspberry growing convenient.

Both in Dragash and in Sterpce, farmers usually sell what they can in local markets or on the streets. Usually the price is a round 2€/kg. One farmer drives from Dragash to Pristina to sell the raspberries. In these cases, the berries are packaged usually in 500 -1000 g trays. This volume is too large for raspberries and the produce is often squeezed and bruised when reaching the consumer. Also, large quantities are expensive and few people can afford to buy them.

Hit Flores apparently collects about 100 tons of raspberries yearly, not only from Dragash. This value is much higher than the inventory value of 8 tons for Dragash and 67 for the whole Kosovo, but the inventory data are for wild berries while here we are dealing with cultivated raspberries. Clearly, the cultivation has much higher potential than raspberry collection from the wild.

3.2.3. Rose hips

Rose fruits (hips) are collected from the wild rose species (Rosa canina and R. spp.).

Hit Flores apparently buys about 200 tons of fruits, paying 0,80 €/kg, a quite low price. The fruits are frozen and sold to Serbia (many different buyers), from which they are apparently exported mostly to Switzerland.

Another buyer is the ABI&ELIF19 company, buying another 200 tons, but paying about 0,40-0,50 €/kg, once again showing more interest for low prize than for high quality. This company, apparently, has machinery to process the hips to eliminate seeds and hair from the fruits.

Together, these two companies seem to collect 400 tons of rose hips, while the inventory reports 62 tons. Again, probably the explanation is that the companies collect from a much larger area of Kosovo. The inventory value for the whole country is 1874 tons.

3.2.4. Wild apples

Wild apples are collected from naturally occurring trees (Malus sylvestris) in fields and road margins.

The ABI&ELIF19 company in Prizren seems to be the only buyer, buying up to 1000 tons, paying about 0,15-0,20 €/kg. If the inventory numbers are correct, this amount represents basically the whole potential production for Kosovo, estimated to be 1042 tons. However, there is a fruit juice company (Frutomania), selling wild apple juice from local (i.e. kosovo) fruits. So there might be some problems with the numbers given, but at the moment no better information is available on the actual volumes potentially available and traded.

3.2.5. Wild plums

Wild plums (Prunus cerasifera) are collected from wild or semi-wild (hedges of fields) trees.

The ABI&ELIF19 company in Prizren seems to be the only buyer, buying up to 70-80 tons, paying about 0,15 €/kg.

Wild plums (Prunus cerasifera) in Dragash


3.2.6. Wild strawberry (Alpine strawberry)

Wild strawberry (Fragaria vesca) are collected from wild plants, although one farmer, outside of Dragash, has planted a small patch of this crop. It was not possible to visit this farmer and no other information is available. Hit Flores collects about 5 tons of this fruit from the gatherers. There is probably no other buyer locally. The inventory reports 9 tons of potential crop for the Dragash territory.

Wild strawberries (Fragaria vesca) in Dragahs

3.2.7. Blackberry

At the moment Hit Flores collects 100 tons/year of blackberries, all from the wild plants. This number appears a bit high, considering the 10 tons available, according to the inventory, for Dragash. But, again, for the whole of Kosovo, the number is 267 tons, so perhaps Hit Flores collects from a wider area. The lower areas of Dragash could cultivate the blackberries, providing an additional crop. The price paid is apparently 1,30€/kg and the situation/opportunities are very similar to what said for raspberry. The blackberry, however, can be more productive and easier to harvest than the raspberry, so for the same price they might represent a good opportunity.

Wild Blackberries in kosovo

3.2.8. Other forest fruit species currently not used

Cornelian cherry

Of the several species not currently used, but potentially interesting, one of the most promising is the cornelian cherry (Cornus mas). This bush or small tree grows naturally in Kosovo. The inventory reports a potential production of 24 tons in Dragash, but this plant c ould be


easily cultivated. The ripe fruit is used to make jellies (it is rich in pectin and jellifies without the need for additional pectin) and several other products, including an alcoholic beverage. This fruit is cultivated and harvested from the wild in the near Albania, where large fruits from selected varieties are apparently sold in the Dragash market by Albanians crossing the borders on market days. This fruit could be both gathered and cultivated and become an additional resource in the Dragash basket of local products.

Mulberry

Mulberry (Morus spp.) trees were cultivated in every garden in Kosovo. People ate the fruits and used them in various ways. The fruits can be dried (the white ones) and used like raisins or turned into juices (the red/black ones) and jams. There are selected varie ties that give higher quality fruits. Kosovars are used to eat them, but now days they rarely grow them because the berries fall from the trees and litter the backyards. This fruit could be grown for the market with similar potential as other berries, but with the advantage that the many Kosovars coming back in the summer know the fruit and may be nostalgic about its consumption. Tourists would of course also be a target.

Oak

Oaks (Quercus spp.), are widespread in Kosovo and in Dragash but their fruit, the acorn, is apparently not used, other than for possible grazing by sheep and cows (there are apparently only 115 cows in Dragash, whereas before the war the number was much higher). Given the global rise in feed prices since the start of the economic crunch in 2008, the acorns could be exploited for the feed market. Almost all animals eat the acorns (not just sheep and cows), including poultry (in this case the acorn must be ground up or broken into pieces). More recent developments suggest that these fruits could be exploited with other more lucrative uses, including oil extraction and, after processing, human consumption for specialty products. Acorn flower (after leaching away the bitter tannins) can be used to make breads (as done with chestnut flower in some areas, for instance in Italy, where some chestnuts breads have become slow food presdium), polenta, pancakes, bakery products, etc. Acorn fed animals are often marketed on high value-added meat markets, like the acorn-fed black pigs in Spain used to produce the famous “jamon iberico de bellota” (bellota means acorn).

Chestnut

Chestnut (Castanea sativa) may grow in the lowest areas of Dragash even though at the moment it is not widespread in the wild, nor there seem to be much cultivation of fruit varieties of chestnut anywhere in Kosovo, though there are wild chestnuts in the some areas. Quoting the report, there is a “wide presence starting from Morina and continuing up to the Rugova Canyon”. Therefore, the chestnut could be potentially interesting, but a feasibility study should be carried out to assess its potential for the area of Dragash, as well as to assess the impact of its introduction in areas where it is not already growing. The international price of chestnuts is usually quite high (3-6 €/kg) and the possibility to grow chestnuts in the lowest areas of the Dragash territory could be investigated.

Hazelnut

Wild hazelnut (Corylus avellana) grows well in Dragash. The inventory reports potential production from wild plants of 6,5 tons, which is not significant. But the important information is that the species grows well and therefore could be cultivated. It could add to the basket of local products. But it could also become a commodity for export.

Wild hazelnut in Kosovo


Other

Other forest species that are rare, but present, in the Dragash territory and that have potential as fruit crops are service tree (Sorbus domestica), service (or june) berry (Amelanchier spp.), and medlars (Mespilus germanica).

Of course many fruit tree species could grow well in Dragash, but these are not considered in the Forest Value Chain, though some could be grown in an agroforestry context (sparse, large fruit trees, with grazing or cultivation underneath). Other fruits, like red/white current (Ribes rubrum), black current (Ribes nigrum), gooseberry (Ribes grossularia) and the highbush or american blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) could be cultivated in Dragash, having similar market characteristics to the raspberry and requiring s imilar pedoclimatic conditions to be successfully grown.

3.2.9. Mushrooms

The culinary use of mushrooms is not widespread in Kosovo’s families, though mushrooms are often served at restaurants. Many gatherers collect mushrooms for a profit, but a better and wider-extent use of mushrooms use could be promoted. The only buyer, at the moment, seems to be once again Hit Flores. The species collected are those mentioned above and no clear data were given separately fo r each species. Altogether the company appears to process 30-50 tons. The company buys both fresh mushrooms, which it sells either fresh, frozen or dried, or buys dried mushrooms, dried directly by the farmers/gatheres. This makes for uneven and uncontrollable quality, but allows farmers to travel less often to sell the product to the company. The company its self has poor drying facilities at the moment (with mushrooms often drying outside on simple screens put directly on the ground), but has invested in a new facility (little less than one million €, between private and public funding). Lack of power supply is keeping this new facility idle for the moment, but it is hoped that very soon it will start working.

The price paid to the gatherers (based on gatherers interviews) is 1,80 €/kg for the firs t class porcini (the company decides the class, but there are no agreed standards), 0,80 for second and 0,50 for third class. The rpice of the same fresh mushrooms in western Eu ropean markets is much higher, around 20-30 €/kg. Clearly there is scope for the Dragash gatherers to organize themselves and try to market their own fresh mushrooms directly to internal and export market, obtaining better prices. Morels, when available (like this year) are traded at 4 €. Their price is apparently 14-15 € in Montenegro.

3.3. Social context/managerial skills

Dragash is a relatively small and rural municipality, with 97% of the population leaving in rural contexts and only 3% living in Dragash town. While this might be seen as a sign of low development, it may become a good basis for sustainable development, with locally produced goods and agro-truism business.

At the moment, (young) people living abroad represent at once both the economic motor of the area (sending their money at home) and the main tourism (the travel back in the summer). The numbers of Kosovars coming back to the Dragash area in the summer (and other holidays) is apparently around 16-17 thousands: a significant basis for some markets. The beauty of the territory, made up of mostly mountains, and the presence of the Sharri Mountain Park, make the area potentially suitable for some international tourism as well. Investments have been made in developing trail maps and nature guides (e.g. “The mountains of Dragash/Dragas – Kosovo: Hiking and Nature Tourism Guide”, by Todd Wassel) to promote tourism.

However, many obstacles limit this potential at the moment, from cultural unpreparedness to lack of basic services like waste disposal and electricity. There is little sense and awareness of the environment as a resource to be preserved in order to be sustainably exploited. Construction appears to be unregulated and poor-looking new buildings are popping up everywhere, with questionable structures in terms of both safety and, mostly, look (often, buildings are not finished outside, looking permanently as construction sites).

Another problem is the age of the population and the willingness of young people to farm and live in a rural setting. Most of the framers interviewed were not young and probably not as interested in investing economically and culturally in new enterprises.

3.4. Legal frame

Even though the park (Sharri mountains) has included the area of Dragash, at the moment apparently no activities are regulated and anyone may freely collect wild products. This poses a serious risk of over-collection and damage to the environment. A national policy aimed at protecting the productivity and beauty of the natural environment seems urgent. Collecting could be regulated by at first limiting


the collection in some areas (this is being apparently discussed, but not yet implemented), for instance by allowing unlimited collection only to local residents. Tourists and outsiders could be, instead, allowed to collect small quantities for personal use, but not for market. In fact, in the long run, if tourism could be increased as the area deserves, collection of mushrooms and berries/herbs from the wild could be one of the main attractions of the area. Tourists would bring in much more economy than the few berries/mushrooms they can pick, while farmers could cultivate the berries in the fields, outside the park, for local and export markets. More locals could work for the tourism business and fewer with berry/mushroom collection from the wild. This would create much more added values to the market of the Dragash wild products, than the current sale, for low price, to the few (or the single) collectors/exporters. For this transition to happen there needs to be the right legal framework. It is impossible to establish the details of such a legal framework based on a short visit, but the local actors should first agree on the goals and then work together towards the most appropriate legal framework implementation.

3.5. Conclusions

3.5.1. Quality of products

The Dragash territory has good potential for economical and sustainable development, based on the beauty of the territory, the quantity and quality (natural, organic, nutritionally rich) of its forest products (berries and mushrooms), both when coming from the wild or from cultivation.

3.5.2 Market potential

The high quality of the products is poorly exploited economically at the moment, given the tendency to sell in an unorganized manner, therefore at low price, and with poor packaging and marketing techniques that reduce product quality. Freezing in bulk closes the door to high quality/price markets. More sophisticated techniques, like IQF (individual quickly frozen) allow for better quality products, but the technology is expensive and before investing in it, an appropriate market assessment should be performed. The market potential can be better exploited by adding value to the high quality products, by:

- at first coordinating and possibly uniting the offer, to achieve better prices - and eventually by processing/marketing in situ, selling not bulk raw materials, but retail finished products

Poor presentation of berries and ...

... poor preservation

One potentially interesting product appears to be fruit juice: the Dragash wild or organic fruits could be turned into a whole-natural, fruit-only, organic fruit juice with health promoting claims. Something along the lines of the Frutomania company (outside of Dragash) which already sells “wild apple” juice made with 100% fruits. If only the bars cafes, grocery s tores and restaurants in Kosovo at least offered the possibility to buy fruit juice and other products from Dragahs (or from the Sharri mountains of Kosovo), an area that could be marketed for the high quality of its natural products and for the beauty of its landscape and natural resources, the market of the Dragash Forest Value Chain products would be large enough to allow good and sustainable development of the local agriculture in Dragash. Marketing of such products would, in turn, advertise for the area, attracting visitors and promoting local tourism in Dragash. Marketing of products and tourism would therefore create a virtuous feedback loop.


If only bilberry juice from the Sharri mountains was one of the options!

3.5.3. Marketing skills

To achieve such goals, there needs to be a gradual investment in people training and exposure to both technical and marketing know-how. High quality products and potential represent half of the path towards selling a high quality product; marketing is the other half. Dragash has the first half in terms of wild/cultivated berries and mushrooms: it needs to work on the marketing skills. This must be a gradual process, addressing both local (growing) markets, national markets and eventually European and global markets.

3.5.4. Training activity

The training activity will provide knowledge and know-how for short term results (sustainable harvesting from the wild, sustainable cultivation, aggregation of the offer and cooperation), but also some preliminary information aimed at the long term development plan (marketing for tourism, high quality, added-value products).

3.5.5 Interaction with other chains

The Forest Value Chain products and their market potential and sustainable development share much in common with the Herb Value Chain. These products often come from the same environments (forests, mountains, cultivated fields), are gathered from the same people, who sell to the same collectors/markets. All the mentioned cultural and social problems as well as many of the technical problems are mostly in common. Additionally, with the expansion of the cultivation of berries and herbs, there will be more pasture and need for bees, to pollinate the crops. The developing the Forest and Herbs Value Chains goes along with development of the Bee Value Chain.

3.5.6. The vision

In the long term the Dragash municipality could be a beautiful land, flourishing with local products (meat and dairy from local breeds of cows and sheep, local beverages from wild and cultivated berries and herbs, local foods with locaaly collected mushrooms and products, and so on) offered to both local (permanent residents or summer-come-back emigrants) and tourists, as well as to national and international markets interested in high quality products. The tourists will come, attracted by the local natural beauty and the local recreational activities including picking wild berries and mushrooms from the natural park, or buying products in the local markets from the local fa rmers (or directly in the farmers fields in pick-your-own operations). Both the tourists and the locals will benefit from a local mycological society and a mycological service that helps them identify the edible mushrooms and explain the rules for, and limitations to, the collec tion from the different areas of the park. Tourists will stay in eco-villages made using traditional and sustainable building techniques (e.g. mud bricks), or in other more conventional (but well integrated into the local environment) reception structures. For this to happen, large efforts must be made in cleaning up and in providing services (waste management, power supply, environmental policy, construction policy, ass istance to entrepreneurs, tourism promotion, etc.) and training. Some good examples exist: the dairy industry is somewhat organized and local dairy products are available on the market. The same, and better, could be done with Forest Value Chain products. Developing in this direction is, overall, at least as much a cultural than a technical challenge. The cultural problem does not seem to involve ethnicity problems: people


seem ready and even eager to collaborate for good business. Rather, the cultural problem is in viewing the environment as a resource to be maintained so it can be exploited, rather than something independent of the economic processes and to be taken for guaranteed. .

Short term vision

Dragash farmers/gatherers become more aware of market value of their products, they get together, concentrate the supply and improve product quality (obtaining better prices for their produce), and make scale economy (increasing further their profits).

This can bring immediate benefits at little cost. It is a cultural more than technical challenge.

Medium term vision

Dragash farmers/ gatherers expand the cultivation of those products with better market and start to sell not only in bulk, to big collectors, but also to local and national markets of fresh produce, at higher prices, with better quality (i.e. better packaging and shelf life management). This will lead to some expansion of the cultivation of the berries and therefore there will be some need for nursery activities (providing the plants for the new plantings). Some farmers will then take advantage of this new business opportunity.

All of this is also a cultural, but a bit more of a technical challenge as well.

Long term vision

Dragash farmers start handling directly the market and the processing of their high quality produce, possibly starting their own brands of fruits from the forest products such as jams, jellies, frozen fruits (both in bulk but also individually frozen high quality fruits for the local bakeries and pastry makers, but also for the national, and international markets) and, particularly, organic (certified) wild fruit juice. They also sell more and more fresh berries, mushrooms and products to the tourists, increasingly coming to spend summer holidays in a beautiful mountainous, clean and neat looking land, well organized to give them appropriate services. Gathering from the Sharri mountain park, after paying a reasonable fee, will be one of the main attractions bringing tourists to the area, and one source of profit for the local administration, which can be invested in providing services to promote further local sustainable development.

This is equally a cultural (and political) as well as a technical challenge.


4. The follow-up

To achieve the above goals these are the suggested actions

4.1. Short term actions

Train local stakeholders in market potential of their crop; field techniques for the gathering/cultivation of current and new crops; cooperation, scale economy and market advantages; packaging, shelf-life, and quality.

Cost/benefit analysis of the cultivation of local wild germplasm of the different berry species vs. selected commercially-available cultivars. For instance, is it worth growing the wild bilberries (Vaccinium mirtillus) in cultivated fields, or is it convenient to grow the commercial varieties (Vaccinium corymbosum), more productive and more easily harvested, but with lower quality and nutritional profiles? Will the cultivation of the local germplasm be competitive compared with gathering from the wild?

4.2. Medium term actions

Further support in field techniques; enterprise and entrepreneurship; agri-tourism business; small scale processing.

Improve management of the natural resources, set up rules that protect these resources and allow their sustainable use, preventing damages and eventually compromising the possibility of their exploitation. For instance: if wild crops are overharvested, they will disappear.

4.3. Long term actions

Develop a full-scale tourism (all kinds) business and area promotion; larger scale processing; larger scale marketing; local brands; product certification.


Diary of the activities

July 15 2013

Travel: Spoleto, Fiumicino-Aeroporto, Tirana, Prizren

July 16 2013

Morning

Farm visit and farmer (Mr. Husnija Danijali) interview. Small farm located in Vraniste. Retired farmer with bees, fruit trees, vegetable garden and a small (200 m2) raspberry patch. Raspberries are sold (2,00 €/kg) to local people who come to buy by at the farmer’s house. Buyers bring their own container, so there is no production of waist, even though berry integrity may be compromised by the repeated changes of containers. The farmers himself tends to squeeze the delicate raspberries when picking. Many fruits are given away as presents, representing a form of indirect income (i.e. no need to buy presents).

There are 5 or 6 different cultivars, but not identified by the farmer. The farmer manages the crop relatively successfully, distinguishing well between summer-bearing and everbearing varieties. Fruits are sold in June to mid July (summer-bearing) and again in August-October (everbearing). Several improvements could be made, but the retired farmer does not seem very interested in expanding and improving. The main goal appears to be self and immediate family consumption. Hit Flores has offered to support expanding the raspberry cultivation and to buy the berries, but the farmer was not interested. The farmer believes that young people have little interest in working in agriculture. We agree that there needs to be some educational and cultural work, together with technical assistance, to convince young people to try farming professionally.

The farmer has provided plant material to neighbors and friends for free.

The farmer makes his own raspberry juice (boiling fruits with sugar), and offered some for us to taste. This small experience is a miniature of what could be developed at a larger scale in Kosovo, whereby both tourists and locals could consume local products, providing sufficient market for local farming, whereas at the moment, no bar, restaurant or other enterprise sells/serves local juices or other products made with local berries.

The farm has few mud-brick buildings that are falling apart. These buildings appear to be traditional, they are attractive (when well preserved or new) and represent a sustainable way of building. They could be used (in some evolved form) in eco-villages for tourists or by individual farmers to host visitors outside of the house.

Mud-brik buildings

Raspberry juice (home made)


Afternoon

Farm visit (locality Rapca) and farmer (Mr. Rasim Maljoki) interview. Retired farmer with a small greenhouse with tomatoes and peppers. The greenhouse was build with aid from another project. The farmer also raises quails in a cage and trout in a water fountain as a hobby. Ha has a back current plant full of fruit, suggesting this species grows very well in this area. He knows of few young farmers who are interested in farming professionally and could be contacted for the training.

Later, in the same locality: interview with two mushroom gatherers (Mr. Jasim Bajrami and Mr. Orham Tosuni). The gatherers described the species gathered, the season, and the price they get from Hit Flores, the only collector. Detailed data are reported above in the resul t session. They are in contact with another gatherer who claims to have found some truffle of the “bianchetto” kind (Tuber borchii), but no clear evidence exists. They said that they would ask and provide pictures of the frozen tubers, cut in a half for easier iden tification. Not picture have been provided yet. The existence of truffles in the Dragash territory remains speculative at the moment.

One of the interviewed gatherer has a small family shop, with some homemade products for sale. Among this, the boza, a beverage obtained by fermenting corn. These local and traditional products are quickly disappearing, while they represent very valuable local tradition that would attract tourists to the area. There is very little perception of the potential value of the local traditions and products, believing that modernity implies getting access to and offering globalized commodity products.

July 17 2013

Morning

Visit to the office and facilities (old and new) of Hit Flores and interview with the owner. Hit Flores provided mach data on the market, volume, season and condition of the many collected fruits and herbs. See the result session. At the moment they are not processing fruits and herbs into final products, but rather freeze or dry the produce and sell it in bulk, mostly to Serbians importers. Hit Flores is allegedly interested in producing juices or jams from the local berries or teas and tisanes with their own brand. They have been working with another company to start producing teas, but at the moment there is no produce actually available.

The owner showed us a dried tuber which appears to be topinambur (Helianthus tuberosus). This wild (but cultivated as well) crop could grow well in this area and if the market for its dried tubers could be ascertain, it could be worth investigating the potential of this crop.

Drying mushrooms outside at Hit Flores

Chanterelles


Frozen raspberries

Fresh bilberries

Cleaning chanterelles

Mushroom slicing machine

Dried morels

Hit Flores new facility

Afternoon

Farm visit (locality Pllajnik) and farmer (Mr. Misin Domuzeti) interview. Medium size patch of raspberries. Fruits sold in local market of Dragahs but also in Pristina, where a better price (2€/kg) is obtained. Packages are about 0,5 kg, a bit too much for both fruit integrity (fruits get squished a bit) and for consumers’ affordability. Smaller trays with 250 g would be more accessible and allow better qual ity. The farmer also planted 50 cultivated blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum) to test their suitability for the area. The plants have already some crop, but


the vegetative growth appears limited. With more time it will be possible to understand better their suitability. Soil tests would also help particualry pH measurements.

Raspberry picking

Problems with raspberry packaging and shelf life

Cultivated blueberries

July 18 2013

Morning

Interview with the officer for agriculture and Tourism development of the Municipality of Dragash (Mr. Flamur Sylejmani). Mr. Sylejmani provided some statistical numbers on the population and tourism of Dragash (see results). The emigrants coming back in the summer represent the biggest form of tourism for the moment. But the municipality has been investing in training locals on rural tourism and hopes to expand the industry of tourism. We provided some insights on what is needed to best achieve the goal of promoting rural tourism, and the most urgent needs. Tourism and the production of local berries and other crops should grow simultaneously to match supply and demand.

Afternoon

Farm visit (locality Zaplluzhe) and farmer (Mr. Hajri Bahtijari) interview. Medium size raspberry patch (0.5 ha) with some wild plums on the edge of the fields. The field looks poorly managed and the farmer complaints that there is no good market. The price is too low and they are not thinking of expanding. Several cultivars planted, with plant material provided by some NGO.

Some edible mushrooms (Coprinus comatus and Lycopendon sp.) of good quality, but unknown locally, were found in the pastures. The locals do not know of their edibility.


Visit to a bilberry (Vaccinium mirtillus) and a mushroom area. A beautiful boletus (Boletus edulis) was found in the beach (Fagus sylvatica) forest. Bilberries were found higher up in the mountain. The area where bilberries grow seems quite large.

Evening

Visit to the office and facilities of the ABI&ELIF19 company, making jams and other food items among many other unrelated products, and interview with the owner. The company collects many tons of wild fruits, but not the most expensive berries (blueberries, raspberries, etc.). Kinds and quantities are given in the result section. It used to import many tons of quinces from Turkey, but now it has replaced them with the local wild apples. As mentioned in the results, this company does not appear to be interested at the moment, in marketing a higher-quality product that can exploit the added value of the local produce (wild, organic, local) and provide better price opportunities for the local farmers/gatherers. The latter ones have to come up with their own processing and marketing if they want to pocket some added value and get better price for their produce and work.

19 July 2013

Morning

Visit to the Dragash market. Hardly any product in the market is local, suggesting that there may be room for local farmers to sell in their own market. Some bilberries are sold, with poor packaging and poor conditions. Berries are in the sun, in big buckets or in medium size trays. The locals are probably not willing to pay much higher prices for higher-quality products. But, as mentioned above, the quality and quantity of berries and local fruits and products can grow in parallel with growing tourism, welfare and awareness, as well as with increasing number of options for processing local fruits into diverse products with higher quality and added value (i.e. whole-fruit, natural, organic, local juice).

Afternoon

Farm visit (Municipality of Sterpce, village Brezovica) and farmer (Sasa Dordevic) interview.

This farmer is the president of the farmers association/cooperative “MVM” (the name is made up of the initials of three raspberry varieties: Meeker, Villamette and Mesecara). Plants are not irrigated, which reduces the costs, but poses a big risk. Fortunately, the climate is usually very appropriate for raspberries.

The association is made up of 47 farmers with about 22 ha. The president complains that lots of funds have been given to “fake” associations who buy equipment but do not actually grow much, while their association is the only one actually working hard to make a true business.


Together they make scale economy, bargain better prices, offer better quality and therefore make better profits. For more details see the result sections.

Cultivars employed are Willamette, Meeker, Polka, Polana (i.e. the cultivar typically grown in Serbia). There are strong links with Serbian university and research institutions. They are particularly careful to not introduce diseases, so they can continue to produce organically without major problems. Apparently they have an organic certification for their raspberries. Clearly these farmers are better organized than any farmer in Dragash and it would be a very good training experience to bring the president and perhaps few other farmers to the training in Dragash, and, vice versa, bring the trainees from Dragash to visit the association and the raspberry fields in Brezovica.

Remarkably, Hit Flores apparently pays 2,20 €/kg for the raspberries from this association, about 50% more than in Dragsh, despite sending its trucks here to collect the produce, while in Dragash farmers carry their product individually to hit Flores. Clearly, cooperating improved bargaining power and results in greater income for the farmers. The berry quality is also better, since the association works towards uniform methods and standards, shares information on good practices, and so on. They try to pre-refrigerate the berries (each farmer uses the house fridge), before the daily pick up by the Hit Flores truck. The association would like to invest in a common fridge, but need some funding for this, but, again, funding is apparently often wasted on ineffective associations. The president believes that there is much room to expand, up to 5 times the present growing area. Later we visited a new field, planted last spring and already producing. They also sell a small amount of crop on the road side, at 3,00 €/kg). This year, the president himself has allegedly sold 3 tons that way (9,000 €!).

Joining this association by the Dragash farmers could be a short-term immediate benefit, but the president foresees problems with this, particularly due to the organic certification, lacking in Dragash. Clearly the Dragash farmers have to come up with their own association. The higher altitude in Dragash would allow fruit production later in the summer, filling the gap between summer produce (summer bearing cultivars) and fall produce (everbearing cultivars). This makes for good premises for the Dragash raspberry cultivation and market, complementing the other areas of raspberry production in Kosovo.

The president spoke of one of the members planting about 0.12 ha of wild or alpine strawberry, but no details are available on yield, variety used, etc. Apparently the plants were mulched with plastic, as usually done for regular strawberry cultivation.

Sasa Dordevic, president of the farmers association

Simple, inexpensive, but effective training system

20-21 July 2013

Desk analysis of the information gathered.


Mini interviews to bars cafes and restaurant about availability of local products, which are virtually completely absent, except for yogurt and whey beverages, produced by a Dragash dairy company. It is a pity that a similar market is not exploited by a Dragash factory of, say, berry juice, to be enjoyed by both local and visiting consumers. This should be a primary, medium to long term development goal for the Dragash municipality.

22 July 2013 (Pristina)

Morning

Interview with professor Fadil Millaku of the University of Pristina. As a biologist, the professor was able to answer many questions on the flora and the species distribution and abundance. Prof. Millaku provided a very useful inventory (see results). He believes that raspberries are one of the best species to be grown and exploited in Dragash where the climate is particularly suitable to their cultivation.

Afternoon

Visit to the office and facilities of the Emona tea factory and interview with Mr. Latif Resyli. Emona is the biggest importer of Sri Lankan black tea. The company does not produce their own produce as of yet but is interested in the idea of buying local products, as long as quantity , quality and price are going to be favorable. They are interested in rose hips (normally used for tisanes), but also in possibly developing a local jam or juice product, in addition to other herbs for tisanes. Mr. Resyli was impressed with the volumes of herbs and fruits currently traded from Dragash (of which he was not aware) and is willing to participate to a forum, to learn more about what there is. He agrees that the organic nature of the produce from Dragash (eventually certifiable) is a potential added value. He agrees that the localness of the produce also has potential, as in the case of the “love yours” label (a label that promotes local products, appealing to the consumers by tapping in their pride for products of their own land).

This company might represent one of the medium term alternatives for the Dragash products to the current monopoly (i.e. Hit Flores for some products, Hit Flores and ABI&ELIF19 for other products), but the long term solution is probably for the Dragash farmers/gatherers to create their own products and brand. Or at least cooperate to concentrate the supply, in order to obtain better prices for their products.

Later in the afternoon, sitting in a bar, I, as usual, asked for some local products. Surprisingly I found some fru it juices from a Kosovarian company (Frutomania: www.frutomania.com). Of course I ordered some “wild apple” fruit juice (no information was given in English in the company’s leaflet available at the table). From the company’s website I learned that the company was initiated from a former state cooperative. They have a whole line of fruit juices, mostly from cultivated fruit trees (except the wild apple juice). They do not offer “wild blueberry” juice from the Dragash or Sharri mountains. Nor raspberry juice and so on. The potential for the Dragash products to sell to this company is more than obvious. I have been trying to contact the Frutomania staff through the UNDP stuff after my departure. Hopefully a link between this company and the local stakeholders in Dragash can be created and exploited for the benefit of all. The potential appears great, and of immediate feasibility.

Another company which might be interested in the Dragash fruits, or from which to draw inspiration for the founding of a local Dragash company is the MOEA company. A documents describing what they do, seems to be perfectly appropriate to illustrate what could be done in Dragahs:

http://helvetas-ks.org/HPK/news/100209Fresh&NaturalJuicesfromlocallygrownfruits-Moea-CFI.pdf

There are also other examples of local companies processing local fruits in Kosovo.

http://www.frutomania.com/

http://helvetas-ks.org/HPK/news/100209Fresh&NaturalJuicesfromlocallygrownfruits-Moea-CFI.pdf

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