In 11 districts of the lowland and coastal zone, the harvest of the new bread crop has entered its most intensive phase, while in the agricultural economies of the other districts the signal to begin harvesting the wheat is expected. The largest area planted with this crop is also concentrated in this zone. Overall, the campaign is proceeding well, with the aim of achieving the target set for completion within 20 days. Compared with the same period last year, by yesterday 14,000 hectares more had been harvested nationwide, while the area harvested with combine harvesters is almost twice as large. Nevertheless, there is no room for complacency. According to the records held by the Ministry of Agriculture, the figures show differences between districts and within their agricultural economies. This is not simply a matter of the schedules drawn up before the campaign began or of the area involved. “The measures we took earlier, as well as those we are taking now, and the tasks we have set are being continually monitored for every agricultural economy and at district level,” says Ismail Çerri, head of the agriculture sector. “In the lower hilly zone, we finished manual harvesting three days ago, while with combine harvesters we have exceeded the schedules so far: against a daily target of 440 hectares, 473 hectares are being harvested. Special brigades have been formed to remove the straw; they are engaged exclusively in collecting and stacking it. Ploughing has begun after that, and in two or three days sowing of the stubble fields will start.” Like the district of Elbasan, the districts of Vlora and Durrës also stand out, having harvested 50 percent of their area so far. But the pace is not the same in the district of Kruja, where only 700 hectares, or 11 percent of the area, have been harvested. The agricultural economies of Kruja are also lagging. At district level, 1,300 hectares of wheat have been harvested so far, and the entire crop has been delivered directly from the fields to the collection depots. The wheat harvest has not sidelined preparation of the land for planting second crops. In addition to 30 wheat combine harvesters allocated to each agricultural economy, as well as 8 teams of mobile mechanics to repair breakdowns, 12 machines for gathering straw have also been put to work. In conversation with the director of the SMT, Theodhori Loli, we learn: “Interest has been encouraged among combine operators and mechanizers by properly using emulation with moral and material incentives. Calculations have been made for each plot. The combine operators, workers and drivers have been informed of these, and are rewarded not at the end of the week or every 15 days, but every day.” “I have set myself the target of harvesting 10 hectares a day,” says combine operator Aleks Çeko at the Bistrica cooperative. Combine operators Niko Nasto and Niko Kola in Livadhja e Gravë also harvest 9–10 hectares every day. They have been rewarded with extra pay for exceeding their targets so far. Everywhere, the aim is to complete the wheat harvest with combine harvesters within 15 days. This target is becoming achievable. Meanwhile, the pace of manual harvesting has not slowed because of the use of combines: in the agricultural economies of the mountainous zone of Partizani, Gravë and Leferohor, work is under way to complete the harvest by the end of June. BARDHYL BEJKO of Agriculture, the figures show a difference between districts and within their agricultural enterprises. This is not simply about the charts drawn up before the campaign began. What matters is that, within a short period, all plots where the wheat has ripened are harvested. Only in this way can crop losses be avoided, especially for wheat varieties that shatter easily. As in previous years, this campaign has been better organized in the district of Elbasan. By yesterday evening, more than 60 percent had been harvested here in the district of Kruja, where only 700 ha, agricultural enterprises in the districts of Fier and Lezhë are also lagging behind. So there are wheat plots ready to be harvested. It is first and foremost the duty of the agricultural enterprises themselves, but also of the agriculture sections and the headquarters set up in the districts, to make more productive use of combine harvesters, transport vehicles, etc. The campaign requires working to a schedule of area. But the pace is not the same as for [?] or other forage crops. We say this because, to date, around 45,000 ha have been harvested, all in the warm zone where they can be planted, yet so far the area that has been ploughed[?] and sown is very small. We must not focus solely on harvesting. The sowing of stubble crops requires attention from all the districts. The tractor should be alongside the combine harvesters, with the seed drills following behind. Only then can we say that the campaign has been organized as a continuous chain.

VLORË More than half of the area planted with wheat has been harvested. Every day, 470 hectares are harvested. The equipment is kept in good working order, although teams of specialists are out in the fields in every zone to provide the necessary assistance. Combine operators have been encouraged in various ways by the SMT and the agricultural economies themselves. An inspiring example has been set by Mina Kacani, a combine operator in the Çerkovimë cooperative, who harvests up to 12 hectares a day, and Estref Lame in Porro, who harvests more than 10 hectares a day, among others. Harvesting has been completed in Tragjas and Nartë, and the production target was exceeded. The brigades of the directorate led by Namik Metaj have also met their production targets. The Poro and Bishan sectors have completed harvesting. In the latter, the brigade led by Sihat Bulla obtained 62 quintals per hectare, against the planned 52. Across the district, 60 percent of the area designated for manual harvesting has been harvested. At the Vajzë agricultural cooperative, for example, 20 hectares are harvested a day. Work has also been encouraged by the payment of 10 lekë for exceeding the norm by 30 percent. Work is already under way, even alongside harvesting, to prepare the land for planting second crops, such as maize and forage cabbage. Ploughing has begun in Drashovicë, Poro, Shkozë, etc. production target was exceeded. The brigades led by Namik Metaj and Fejzi Metaj in Drashovicë have also completed harvesting and achieved By June 11, around 34 percent of the wheat area had been harvested across the district, 14 percent had been threshed, and 13.5 percent of the planned quantity had been delivered. This is the picture of the new-bread campaign, which began several days ago in the district of Berat. Given that the wheat here has the particular characteristic of not ripening all at once for harvesting, it should be said that the harvesting pace so far has generally been satisfactory. Hand harvesting has been assessed more favorably: of 6,400 ha, 2,500 ha have been harvested, or 44 percent, while around 30 percent of the planned area has been harvested with combine harvesters. It is clear that greater efforts are required from the SMT to ensure readiness. (Continued on page 2)

Impressions There is no better time to write a feature about students than the emotionally charged examination period, so these days we visited the Higher Agricultural Institute of Kamza. “How are your exams going?” “Fine, let’s see what comes next.” “And you?” “Not bad either.” “How do you feel outside the examination room?” “How shall I put it? It’s difficult while you’re waiting to enter the hall, but as soon as your hand draws the exam paper, the nerves pass—though, of course, it also depends on the paper you draw.” These were the first phrases we heard from a group of students waiting to go in for an exam. Anxious faces, restless movements, open notebooks—everything spoke of the emotions people feel when facing a test. And yet, all of them gave us a little of their time. They were Vjollca, Vani from Lushnja, Martin Pali from Puka, Ali Rustani from Kavaja, and Shkëndije Alla from Durrës. They were fourth-year students in the Faculty of Agricultural Economics and were taking the planning exam. This year there were nine groups and they had eight exams to sit. The first questions could only be about exams. “How many days did you have to prepare?” “There was enough time—seven days for each exam.” “Did anyone fail to sit an exam because of absences or because they had not completed their seminars?” “No, we had no problems.” “Which exam is the hardest?” They hesitated for a moment. “Statistics,” one of them said. “That’s right,” the others agreed. “It’s a dense subject and requires systematic work.” “And which subject is the most interesting?” There was no hesitation here. They all chose computer science. It is one of the newest subjects and one that students are looking forward to with interest. Martin said that computer science is now essential for a senior professional. “Where did you do your practical training this year?” Martin and Ali said they had done it in Fier, while Shkëndije and Vjollca had completed theirs in Berat. Their topic concerned the state of income, funds, etc. in agricultural economies. “We have reservations about the way the studies are organized,” they said. “We defend our course assignment before the practical training, whereas it would be better to defend it afterward. In other words, we defended the practical training afterward. The practical training would have helped us a lot with this, as Shkëndije says. In an agricultural economy, theoretical questions that we need to prepare for become concrete.” “Have you had problems with textbooks?” “To tell the truth,” Ali says, “sometimes the textbook corresponds to the lecture, and that is a shortcoming on the lecturer’s part. But there are also textbooks that now provide outdated information and need to be written from scratch. This is especially noticeable in the textbooks on agricultural economics and the organization of agricultural economies.” “Which lecturers have you liked?” “Bashkim Tabaku,” Ali answers without hesitation. “Add Bahri Musabelliu,” says Shkëndije. “He won’t let you leave the classroom until he has made the lesson clear.” “On the whole, the standard of teaching is good. Most of the knowledge we acquire is up to date. It has also helped that 25–30 percent of the lecturers have completed specializations abroad.” “We also have visiting lecturers teaching us,” Ali says. “Distinguished scientists often come to give lectures. The Institute also has agreements with Italian and Turkish institutes to exchange experience, staff and literature.” The students we spoke with had just held a meeting of the youth organization to discuss job assignments. “How did the meeting go, Martin?” “There was debate, and the meeting went on for a long time. Assignments were to be made in three districts: Korçë, Shkodër and Lezhë. Korçë kept 7 of its 17 students; Shkodër had 16 and kept 15, while Lezhë kept 2 and did not keep 2. Tirana did not keep any of its students. The discussions were generally objective, but in one or two cases there were attempts at manipulation. Also,” Ali stressed, “the job assignments should be made together with the place of work.” “All four of us are being drawn to…” (Continued on page 3) SKËNDER MINXHOZI

- DURRËS - The head of the Domen sector at the agricultural cooperative of Spanesh, Namir Kola, reports that the sector he directs was the first in the cooperative to complete the manual wheat harvest. And so, within just a few days, Span[e]shi completed the manual harvest of wheat across an area of 450 hectares. The fact that manual harvesting was completed in just a few days, as never before, speaks to the strong sense of responsibility and mobilization at work, further encouraged by the incentives introduced for the different work processes. After the manual wheat harvest, the Sterberg sector in this cooperative, directed by Dashamir Çullhaj, began threshing. The objective of this agricultural economy is to complete threshing just as quickly, as well as the wheat harvest with combine harvesters. New reports continue to come in from other agricultural economies, too. Thus, the manual harvest was completed… (Continued on page 2)

Yesterday, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Reis Malile, received the ambassador of the People’s Republic of Bulgaria, Stefan Naumov, and the ambassador of Venezuela, Fred[i?] Kristians, accredited to the People’s Socialist Republic of Albania, in connection with the forthcoming presentation of their credentials to the Chairman of the Presidium of the People’s Assembly, Comrade Ramiz Alia. (ATA)

Yesterday, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Socialist Republic of Albania, Muhamet Kapllani, held talks in Paris with the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the French Republic, Francua She[r?], and with the Director for Europe, Zhak Bilot. During these meetings there was a wide-ranging exchange of views on recent developments in Europe and, in particular, on the process of ensuring and advancing European cooperation through the activation of cooperation in Copenhagen, in which, in this regard, particular representatives also took part. At this meeting, part of which apparently involved the French side, it was pointed out that Albania, which has its place in Europe, can make its contribution to this process. The progress of the Balkan cooperation process and its contribution to the benefit[?] of peace in the Balkans, Europe and the Mediterranean were also discussed. Views were also exchanged on relations between Albania and France, and both sides expressed the conviction that opportunities exist to give them further impetus and advance them further. (ATA)

WE DRAW ATTENTION In the district of Kukës, the number of livestock has increased during these years of the current five-year plan. Thus, compared with 1985, the number of cattle has increased by 14 percent, while that of small livestock has increased by 28 percent. A notable jump can be seen in the number of cows, up by 66 percent. More specifically, during 1989, for example, 6,000 head of small livestock were added, of which 3,000 were [pëllaja]. Let us present some facts to make this problem clearer. The agricultural cooperative of Kam[i?]lashit has no livestock. This may seem strange if we take into account the terrain and the working conditions of this mountainous agricultural economy. The branch that should be its strongest and most productive—small livestock farming—is precisely what it lacks. Tradition should demonstrate the opposite. The cooperative’s entire livestock stock consists of 31 cows, 25 [and?], and 46 head of cattle for replacement. Not a single goat, not a single sheep—the cooperative’s residents are “out of work.” The Shikaj agricultural cooperative has a total of 60 head of cattle, 370 sheep and 450 goats. The Arrën agricultural cooperative has 67 head of cattle, 2,660 sheep and 270 goats for replacement. The livestock stock of the Shemri agricultural cooperative totals 1,000 head, of which 150 are cattle, 140 sheep, and the remainder are goats. A few days ago, this concern was raised at the plenum[?] of the district Party Committee; indeed, the above-mentioned cooperatives were asked to take measures to overcome this situation. But how is this to be put right, what measures should be taken, and what are the concrete possibilities? The livestock sector of the executive committee of the district’s KP tells us: “This situation is not due only to the fact that the livestock kept in collective herds were transferred to private yards. In these cooperatives—in Malmash, Arrën, Shemri and Shinaj—work has generally not been done well to increase the number of head; in the past, the pace of progress has not matched that of the district. Many factors have contributed to this, such as the fact that the most capable people in these cooperatives for working in livestock farming, especially small livestock, have been drawn away by state enterprises, such as the mining and geology enterprises. But we, the specialists and cooperative leaders, have also not done our work properly in this respect. However, this is no time to complain or make excuses. Starting this year, we will create the conditions for these cooperatives to acquire livestock. In the district we have agricultural economies with a livestock load per hectare of pasture or woodland above the district average, such as the cooperatives of Ujëmish, Golaj, Gjinaj, etc. We can redistribute livestock by providing some to cooperatives with fewer head. The cooperatives have the financial means to buy livestock from other cooperatives.” At the Shemri cooperative, its chairman, Myrteza Myftari, tells us: “The land’s livestock load is low. The number of head must be increased at all costs, especially small livestock—sheep. From the purchase of herds from villagers by the cooperative, we have 4 million old lekë. Of this, we will allocate 3 million to fixed assets to buy livestock. But we have no sources from which to buy them. Perhaps the district executive committee can help us with this, but one thing is clear: the solution to this problem must not be left to the wishes of one person or another.” NAIM ZOTO

- BERAT - By June 11, around 34 percent of the wheat area had been harvested across the district, 14 percent had been threshed, and 13.5 percent of the planned quantity had been delivered.

Among those doing good work in cucumber harvesting in the greenhouse of the «Çlirimi» agricultural enterprise in the district of Fier are Arikli Pjetri and Irina Kushe. (Photo: N. Xhufka)