Global Courant 2023-04-11 23:20:44
The countries of the European Union are the largest consumers of peanuts in the world, while all demand for this product is met by imports.
The consumption of peanuts in the countries of the European Union comes as a result of their inclusion in many different foods.
Currently, Bulgaria and Greece are the only countries in all of Europe that have started cultivating peanuts in their territories.
If the southern part of Greece and islands like Crete have a hot and favorable climate, Bulgaria is a surprise.
What about in Albania?
In Albania, it still remains a mission impossible, but some people with passion and knowledge are trying to prove the opposite.
There are two former Albanian immigrants from Saranda, who intend to undertake this initiative. Jani Nika and Dhimo Paskali worked in the peanut fields in Kavuri, Greece.
There peanuts were cultivated for the first time in 1915 and massively after 1985.
Their plan is to grow peanuts on their land in the country hoping to start a separate and profitable business.
The two initiators tell AgroWeb.org that during the summer of 2016 they planted rows of peanut roots in the gardens around their houses mainly as a test.
While they already want to cultivate more important quantities. Jani Nika tells AgroWeb.org that Saranda has a good climate for this culture, but it must ensure its cultivation in a protected environment.
“The frosts of January 2017 greatly endangered our test, so this time we improvised a plasma greenhouse,” he says.
Peanuts are grown in hot places because they require a warm season and steady rainfall during growth.
Good peanut production requires constant sunlight and warm climatic conditions.
AgroWeb.org experts explain that the best and most suitable temperature for growing peanuts is somewhere between 22°C and 30°C.
But remember that peanuts don’t grow on trees. In fact, they are not even nuts, but lean towards legumes and have the botanical name Arachis hypogaea.
Lower temperatures and frosts negatively affect the quantity and quality of cultivated peanuts.
Moreover, in the ripening phase, peanuts require warmth and dryness, characteristics of the coastal areas of Albania.
Peanuts are delicious, crunchy and have a special taste. They are very popular in our country and all the quantities consumed in the country are imported.
Peanuts are indeed legumes, but they offer the qualities and values of nuts like pistachios, almonds, hazelnuts and walnuts.
Jani Nika and Dhimo Paskali will not really be able to fill the Albanian market with peanuts, but the initiative for Albanian peanuts is commendable./AgroWeb
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