The Minister of Agriculture, Faton Peci, has reacted after the statement of the president of the Union Federation of Farmers, Tahir Tahiri, who said that this year Kosovo can cover only 30 percent of the country's needs with wheat production.

Peci, through a post on Facebook, said that only the Ministry of Agriculture and no other individual has the official data on harvests, as he added that such statements, referring to Tahir, are disinformation for the public.

"Only the Ministry of Agriculture and no other individual possesses the official data about harvesting.

And anyone who claims to misinform the public opinion and worry the citizens of the Republic of Kosovo about food safety for personal reasons, is very wrong", wrote Peci, Telegrafi reports.

He further said that "for the year 2022, the area of ​​planted cereals is 33.04% more than last year and the total is about 91,436.11 hectares based on the data received from the Agency for Agricultural Development, in the report of applications for the Program of Direct Payments.

Meanwhile, only for corn we have an increase of 90.93% of planted areas or a total of 36,901.66 hectares or 17,574.15 hectares more than the previous year".

"From the data we have so far as an Institution, as the harvesting-threshing process is ongoing and has not yet been finalized, there are only about 66,159.52 ha planted with wheat.

This figure also includes areas under two hectares, while over two hectares the number of planted areas is 51,282.96 hectares with an increase of 15.55% compared to last year, where the areas planted with wheat over two hectares were about 44,381.83 hectares".

According to him, until now, it is reported from the field that the yield in most countries exceeds the average of 4000 kg per hectare.

Peci has asked the citizens not to fall prey to misinformation from individuals who, according to him, have not managed to realize their personal whims, and in this way affect the artificial increase in the demand for basic food products .

"There is no place for panic or concern of this nature."

"Such statements in the absence of accurate information and in the absence of data, especially in such public presentations, cause market disorder!"

Peci said that they are in continuous institutional coordination with the Ministry of Trade and Industry, regarding the provision of our support regarding the issue of securing the state reserve.

/Telegraph/