Tuesday, October 02, 2007
I Really Need to Write a Will
I just had a little incident that made me realize that I really need to write a will. I was driving on the mountainous coastal road on the Albanian coast near Saranda. Well, to be honest, the driver was doing the driving and me and my Albanian colleague were riding along in the big white SUV enjoying the spectacular coastline. My attention was drawn back to the road to see a Minibus driving towards us seemingly in the middle of the narrow road. We were on the outer edge of the cliff so didn’t have a lot of leeway. Just before the two vehicles met, my driver braked suddenly, but there was nowhere he could go. The other car continued straight and the two vehicles collided, but thank goodness only the side mirrors touched with a loud crunch. A miss that was a little too close for comfort.
Greece
I am spending a week in the field trying to get a better understanding of melon sector in Albania, what the opportunities are and where our project should target our activities to have the greatest impact. This is my third trip to Albania in five months, and I thought I was getting to know the country fairly well, but I have been shocked.
For a change, my shock is in response to the incredible potential in this country, both in the agricultural sector and in the tourism sector. These farmers are incredibly advanced. I use Croatia as a comparison as it is considered the most advanced of the Balkan countries not yet in the EU, and I spent a few weeks working there this year. In Croatia my company introduced new greenhouse technologies over the past couple of years, including fertigation – a highly efficient method for fertilizing using crystallized fertilizers distributed directly to the plants through drip irrigation. Only a few farmers in Croatia have started adopting this method. Here it seems that the majority of farmers are using fertigation, and good greenhouses, trellising, etc. [If this is incredibly boring skip to the next paragraph.] It turns out that Albania has at least one advantage that has not been considered. Given the hardship here over the past half century or so, many, many Albanians have gone to other countries to find work. Many of them work seasonally on farms in Greece. As a result, they have brought back with them the latest European agricultural technology which has already been adopted here. For me, it is very exciting to see. Of course, just because the farmers know how to grow, does not mean that we do not have a job to do. Every farmer I have spoken to has said that they need better markets. I also know that they need to be better organized (to consolidate production and save costs). We still have our work cut out for us.
The other shock on this trip has been the spectacular scenery, idyllic beaches, lush mountains for hiking, and the incredible array of historical sites. (Pictures will be added when I get home). In the past few days I have gone hiking and watched the sunset from the top of a mountain; visited a thousand year old church in the middle of a “castle” – an ancient hilltop city that is still inhabited today; visited a 19th century castle on an island; and been awed by the crystal clarity of the turquoise sea on private beaches as I drive by.
More and more I am amazed at the speed of change in this country. I take photos knowing that in just a few years time, things will be very different as development takes hold.
I have also heard rumors that during the economically challenging period following the change in government, Greeks would cross the border and offer Albanians a small sum to cut down their olive trees so that the Greeks would be able to take over the Albanian market share. Others have told me that this is not true, but at the very least, this story demonstrates the lack of trust of the Greeks next door.
For a change, my shock is in response to the incredible potential in this country, both in the agricultural sector and in the tourism sector. These farmers are incredibly advanced. I use Croatia as a comparison as it is considered the most advanced of the Balkan countries not yet in the EU, and I spent a few weeks working there this year. In Croatia my company introduced new greenhouse technologies over the past couple of years, including fertigation – a highly efficient method for fertilizing using crystallized fertilizers distributed directly to the plants through drip irrigation. Only a few farmers in Croatia have started adopting this method. Here it seems that the majority of farmers are using fertigation, and good greenhouses, trellising, etc. [If this is incredibly boring skip to the next paragraph.] It turns out that Albania has at least one advantage that has not been considered. Given the hardship here over the past half century or so, many, many Albanians have gone to other countries to find work. Many of them work seasonally on farms in Greece. As a result, they have brought back with them the latest European agricultural technology which has already been adopted here. For me, it is very exciting to see. Of course, just because the farmers know how to grow, does not mean that we do not have a job to do. Every farmer I have spoken to has said that they need better markets. I also know that they need to be better organized (to consolidate production and save costs). We still have our work cut out for us.
The other shock on this trip has been the spectacular scenery, idyllic beaches, lush mountains for hiking, and the incredible array of historical sites. (Pictures will be added when I get home). In the past few days I have gone hiking and watched the sunset from the top of a mountain; visited a thousand year old church in the middle of a “castle” – an ancient hilltop city that is still inhabited today; visited a 19th century castle on an island; and been awed by the crystal clarity of the turquoise sea on private beaches as I drive by.
More and more I am amazed at the speed of change in this country. I take photos knowing that in just a few years time, things will be very different as development takes hold.
I have also heard rumors that during the economically challenging period following the change in government, Greeks would cross the border and offer Albanians a small sum to cut down their olive trees so that the Greeks would be able to take over the Albanian market share. Others have told me that this is not true, but at the very least, this story demonstrates the lack of trust of the Greeks next door.
Starting over
Starting over works very well as a strategy to get over an ex or even maybe to reinvigorate your life with a career change, but as an economic strategy for a country, it is questionable, particularly when taken literally. After the fall of communism in Albania in 1990 (after the death of the evil dictator Hoxha a couple of years earlier), the government of the time decided to start over – literally. They told the people that they should destroy all that which was created by the previous regime, and they meant it quite literally. For some reason, the government had somehow been given the impression that they had a blank check from the United States for reconstruction, so they told the people to cut down the orange groves, ruin irrigation systems and destroy factories, taking them apart piece by piece for scrap metal. The people obeyed, but they are still waiting for the blank check. Today as I drove to southern Albania I saw an incredible system of hill terracing with irrigation, but the hills were bare. My colleagues told me that the entire valley used to be green with fruit trees, but the trees were cut down in the early 90’s and the people are still waiting for the US to help them replant.
Is it any wander then that these desperate and unpracticed new capitalists invested so heavily in pyramid investment schemes that appeared in the mid 90’s, especially when initially people did earn a hefty profit, sometimes doubling their investment within 6 months. They didn’t understand that the only way for everyone to make money in these schemes was for people to keep investing more and more. Not surprisingly, cracks started to appear in 1996 and by 1997 they had all collapsed, putting desperate people in an even more desperate situation. The desperation became anger and violence broke out across the country. Thousands died.
It had taken me a while to understand, but expectations were so high when the evil communist government fell, and the promises made were not met. Those include promises made (or implied) by the US government, and yet, when Bushy (brain) was here earlier this year, he was treated like the long lost son with people ruffling his hair as he walked through the crowd. Maybe this naiveté is also a root cause.
Is it any wander then that these desperate and unpracticed new capitalists invested so heavily in pyramid investment schemes that appeared in the mid 90’s, especially when initially people did earn a hefty profit, sometimes doubling their investment within 6 months. They didn’t understand that the only way for everyone to make money in these schemes was for people to keep investing more and more. Not surprisingly, cracks started to appear in 1996 and by 1997 they had all collapsed, putting desperate people in an even more desperate situation. The desperation became anger and violence broke out across the country. Thousands died.
It had taken me a while to understand, but expectations were so high when the evil communist government fell, and the promises made were not met. Those include promises made (or implied) by the US government, and yet, when Bushy (brain) was here earlier this year, he was treated like the long lost son with people ruffling his hair as he walked through the crowd. Maybe this naiveté is also a root cause.
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