FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
The Competition Authority has fined six companies for colluding on prices to the detriment of farmers.
The Competition Authority emphasizes that after an investigation lasting almost two years and involving several regions of the country, they found prohibited practices that had distorted competition, dictated purchase prices, and aggravated the negotiating position of farmers.
The Competition Authority concluded the market practices of collecting and selling fruits and vegetables in the districts of Tirana, Elbasan, Berat, Fier and Korça.
Full announcement:
The Competition Authority completed the study of practices in the fruit and vegetable collection and sale market in Tirana, Elbasan, Berat, Fier and Korça, after an in-depth investigative procedure lasting almost two years and including monitoring of studies, preliminary investigation and in-depth investigation.
At the meeting of 26.11.2025, the Competition Commission adopted decisions no. 1234–1239, by which it found that a group of collection companies – Omer Fruit SHPK, Nedrete Arapi PF, Besim Thaqi PF, Morina Grup SHPK, Fruit-To-Zela SHPK and Roland-2012 SHPK – have purchased at a price and during the farmers' season (surcharge on costs) very high, up to 115%.
This connection of the points of prohibition according to Article 4 of Law No. 9122/2003 is considered a serious violation, for which the Commission has found a fine of up to 0.15% of the turnover of the previous financial year.
Why this decision is big for farmers across Albania
The in-depth investigation showed that some groups, thanks to their negotiating power, had created a situation where farmers often faced:
the price dictated and coordinated,
closed doors for negotiation,
excessive by a little Buy,
pressure to reduce prices,
and late payment of payments.
The Competition Authority's decision directly addresses these issues and the positions of farmers in the market, creating the conditions for:
fairer and more transparent prices,
fair competition between collectors,
real options choices for farmers
more secure payments and more balanced contracts,
curbing coordinated schemes that harmed all competition.
Moreover, although 6 companies are fined, the effect of the decision extends to all national competition, because: it clearly brings out the prohibited practices,
sets new standards for price transparency,
aims to discipline fruit and vegetable stories,
and promotes fair competition for all actors.
This is a structure of interest to me, a category that often confronts me with marked inequality in negotiations.
Corrective action obligations for collectors
The Commission has ordered the fined companies to:
to display in order to produce current products that accumulate,
all monitoring subjects for 1 year by the Competition Authority.
These measures aim for transparency and a fairer story for farmers.
Recommendations for the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development
With decision no. 1240, the Commission has addressed the concurrency of addressing important recommendations for its reform which require:
minimizing informality throughout the trade chain,
drafting the legal basis in an EU standard,
announcement of a national online pricing platform (agri-food exchange),
establishing mandatory and standardized contracts,
and cooperation on the transposition of the EU on unfair trading practices (UTPs).
Through its decisions, the Competition Authority continues its mission of guaranteeing free and fair competition, contributing to the protection of farmers, transparency and fairer reporting functions in Albania.
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