Farmers have harvested some of their agricultural products for this year, but they still haven’t received their subsidies—direct financial payments from the Ministry of Agriculture, reports KosovaPress.

Although later than last year, some farmers have recently begun receiving decisions from the Ministry of Agriculture regarding this financial support.

Several farmers are complaining about subsidy delays, saying that this is making it harder for them to work in agriculture.

They are calling on the Ministry of Agriculture to start the procedures for executing the payments as soon as possible.

Valon Vehapi, a farmer from the village of Suhadoll in Lipjan, says that one of the main challenges for farmers is the delay in distributing subsidies. He emphasizes that these funds should be released on time, as he says by mid-September at the latest,, so that farmers can prepare for the fall planting season.

According to Vehapi, who planted around 120 hectares of wheat this year, delays cause financial difficulties because many farmers did not earn enough income this year to cover land work expenses.

He warns that if subsidies are not released on time, a large portion of farmland may remain uncultivated.

"The ministry’s support is not bad, we can’t complain. But the problem is that the funds are being delayed. If the subsidy funds were released by at least September 15, it would be good for the state itself, because farmers would have enough money to plant in the fall. They shouldn’t be delayed past September. Otherwise, we face financial difficulties. Last year, we received them in July… The earlier the funds are released, the better for the farmers… The farmer is harmed if the funds aren’t released before the fall planting season. Farmers didn’t have high profits this year. If the funds aren’t released, they won’t cultivate the land. If they are, then everyone will go buy seeds, fuel, and begin land preparation," said Vehapi.

Farmer Bunjamin Jashanica also expressed the need for subsidies to be distributed earlier, noting that last year’s delays created difficulties in preparing for the agricultural work season.

He said he received the final subsidies in December, a period when planting was already completed. According to him, farmers need financial support starting in September, since that’s when land preparation begins, such as plowing, while sowing starts in October.

Jashanica, who harvested around 25 hectares of wheat this summer, said the funds are mainly used to buy fuel, fertilizer, and seeds—all of which require immediate payment.

"I’ve been in agriculture for over 10 years. It has its challenges, but we manage somehow. Subsidies are what motivate us to keep working. Do the funds come on time? No, up to now there have been significant delays. Last year, the funds came late. When did you receive the subsidies last year? The final ones, if I’m not mistaken, in December. This affects us because we start preparing in September—plowing—and sowing begins in October. We need funds primarily for fuel, fertilizer, and seeds. Everything has to be paid in cash. In my opinion, subsidies should be released at the beginning or mid-September at the latest," said Jashanica.

Meanwhile, in a written response to KosovaPress, the Ministry of Agriculture, specifically the Agriculture Development Agency (ADA), stated that the delays this year are due to the call for applications starting later than usual.

According to them, the process of printing the Payment Decision Letters for the 2025 program began on July 20, 2025, and is still ongoing.

ADA reported that over 10,000 decisions have been printed out of approximately 34,000 applicants, with the total value reaching around 17 million euros.

“We inform you that the process of printing the Payment Decision Letters for the 2025 program began on 20.07.2025 and is ongoing. So far, 10,240 decisions have been printed for a total of 33,781 applicants, amounting to approximately 17 million euros. These payments are expected to be executed soon, while the remaining applications are in the phase of administrative or field verification. The reason for this year's delay—approximately 20 calendar days—is that this year’s application call started almost one month later than last year,” ADA told KosovaPress.

In 2024, subsidies for wheat began to be executed at the end of June. /Z. Zeneli/