SCENTS of sage, lavender and cornflowers rise from the meadows of Albania, which has seen soaring overseas demand for medicinal herbs since the coronavirus pandemic.
In Sheqeras, at the foot of the Mali i Thate mountain in Albania's south, it is the season for cornflowers, a plant traditionally valued for its ability to boost the metabolism and resistance to infections.
Early in the morning, before the heat of the day, dozens of women wearing broad-rimmed hats, hand-pick the magnificent signature-blue flowers that attract clouds of butterflies and bees.
The cornflowers are then dried in darkened rooms to preserve their colour before being shipped abroad.
For the past few years, Albania has been one of Europe's top producers of medicinal herbs, mostly wild plants harvested in the foothills.
About 95 percent are exported to the United States, Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany or Italy.
- Booming exports -
Demand has been soaring since the coronavirus pandemic increased interest in herbs believed to strengthen the immune system and amid growing enthusiasm for natural and organic products.
"Every cloud has a silver lining," says Altin Xhaja, whose company, Albrut, has, like many others in the sector, expanded areas under cultivation and intensified harvesting of wildflowers.
In 2020, Albania exported more than 14,000 tonnes of medicinal and aromatic herbs worth 50 million euros ($59 million).
That was 15 percent more compared with the previous year, official figures show.
And the trend continues, with exports 20 percent higher in the first three months of 2021 from a year earlier.
- 'We have to be quick' -
The boom is a windfall for one of Europe's poorest countries which, with a population of 2.8 million people, is largely dependent on tourism along the Adriatic coast that has been hard-hit by the pandemic.
Nettle, wild apple trees, cowslip and other medicinal plants provide a living for some 100,000 Albanians, who have long used them themselves in traditional remedies.
"It's a race against time. We have to be quick," says Xhaja.
"Cornflowers are the most expensive at the moment; a kilo of dried flowers will go for around 30 euros," he says.
Just next to the fields of cornflowers, a beautiful violet carpet of mallows can wait a bit longer before the harvest.
As dozens of workers busily select and sort plants at his factory in Lac, north of Tirana, Filip Gjoka says that the sector has also benefited from tensions between Washington and Beijing.
"The trade war between the United States and China has forced many Western players to turn towards the Albanian market," says Gjoka, who also heads the association of medicinal and aromatic herbs.
Around 30 Albanian companies are authorised to export the plants used in herbal medicine due to their anti-inflammatory, anti-septic and even anti-stress properties.
They are used to make teas rich in vitamin C and antioxidants, oils or ointments.
- 'Sage is my life' -
The rocky plateaus in Albania's north are home to sage, for which demand has increased by 40 percent, prompting farmers to increase the area under cultivation.
"It was unforeseen. It had to be done quickly to be able to respond" to the demand, says farmer Pjeter Cukaj, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
"These plants provide a living for more than 50 percent of families in the region," he adds, crediting local sage, lavender and wild herbs with "magical powers" for the health.
But farmers complain about the difficulty in finding funding for expansion and the construction of storage and drying facilities, and say that any financial aid they do get comes in dribs and drabs.
Professionals are also calling for a law for labels to guarantee quality, which would promote the sector's growth.
"Everything is pure, without pesticides, without anything," says Edlira Licaj, as she pulls weeds from around the sage along with a dozen other women.
"We do everything by hand," she says.
Meanwhile, 91-year-old Drane Cukaj attributes her longevity to the sage infusion she drinks every morning.
"Life is in the meadows, sage is my life, my love, it has always made me happy," says the mother of nine who also has 40 grandchildren.
Cukaj says she's convinced that the wild herbs "help against the coronavirus".
Still, that didn't stop her from getting the jab -- just in case.
ETX Studio
Sat Jul 10 2021
Farm workers pick medicinal herb Centaurea cyanus, commonly known as cornflower in the village of Sheqeras near the city of Korca. - ETX Studio
Perkhidmatan feri percuma bagi pengunjung Program MADANI Rakyat Zon Utara
Perkhidmatan feri Pulau Pinang secara percuma disediakan bagi pengunjung PMR Zon Utara yang akan diadakan di Tapak Pesta Sungai Nibong di sini selama tiga hari bermula Jumaat ini.
Qatar nantikan kata putus Malaysia dalam pelaburan Baladna
Lawatan keempat Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim ke Arab Saudi sempena Mesyuarat Khas Forum Ekonomi Dunia (WEF) antara lain turut memberi penekanan dalam sektor agrikultur dan sekuriti makanan. Misi ini jelas serentak dengan tema forum ini iaitu 'Kerjasama Global, Pertumbuhan dan Tenaga untuk Pembangunan' yang mana Datuk Seri Anwar berkesempatan berbincang dengan Perdana Menteri Qatar Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani mengenai hasrat pelaburan ladang tenusu terbesarnya, Baladna dikomersialkan di Malaysia.
[TERKINI] Anwar bertemu Putera Mahkota Arab Saudi
Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim pada Isnin menghadap Putera Mahkota merangkap Perdana Menteri Arab Saudi, Mohammed Bin Salman Al-Saud.
Pertemuan yang berlangsung di Istana Al-Safa itu adalah atas undangan Kerajaan Arab Saudi seiring lawatan kerja tiga hari beliau ke Riyadh.
Pertemuan yang berlangsung di Istana Al-Safa itu adalah atas undangan Kerajaan Arab Saudi seiring lawatan kerja tiga hari beliau ke Riyadh.
SPR keluar 188 kertas undi pos
Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya (SPR) mengeluarkan 188 kertas undi pos kepada pengundi yang berhak untuk mengundi secara pos pada Pilihan Raya Kecil (PRK) Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) Kuala Kubu Baharu (KKB).
MCMC buat laporan polis
Suruhanjaya Komunikasi dan Multimedia (MCMC) menolak sekeras-kerasnya tohmahan tidak berasas seorang penulis blog Murray Hunter yang menuduh agensi itu dan Polis Diraja Malaysia (PDRM) sebagai institusi berlandaskan politik dalam pentadbiran kerajaan sekarang.
Malaysia mahu negara Islam sepakat henti keganasan di Gaza
Disebalik tumpuan terarah kepada usaha mengetengahkan keutamaan strategik dalam isu ekonomi, perdagangan serta pelaburan, Malaysia turut memanfaatkan platform Mesyuarat Khas Forum Ekonomi Dunia (WEF) di Riyadh dengan menyuarakan sokongan berterusan kepada rakyat Palestin yang berdepan kezaliman rejim zionis Israel.
Malah, Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim menggunakan pertemuannya dengan pemimpin negara Islam bagi menyuarakan harapan supaya keganasan di Gaza dapat dihentikan.
Malah, Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim menggunakan pertemuannya dengan pemimpin negara Islam bagi menyuarakan harapan supaya keganasan di Gaza dapat dihentikan.
Pendigitalan tidak noktahkan ekosistem penerbitan buku fizikal - KP Pendidikan
Inisiatif pendigitalan industri buku tidak akan sesekali menoktahkan ekosistem penerbitan buku secara fizikal malah sebagai pelengkap dalam memartabatkan industri berkenaan.
PRK KKB: Komuniti Orang Asli perlu sokong calon PH - Ramli
Seruan itu adalah bagi mengelakkan kekeliruan dalam kalangan komuniti Orang Asli memandangkan mereka merupakan pengundi setia BN.
Malaysia manfaat platform WEF untuk suarakan kesepakatan negara-negara Islam
Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim menggunakan pertemuannya dengan pemimpin negara Islam bagi menyuarakan harapan agar keganasan di Gaza dihentikan.
'Geng Bob' tumpas, lima ditahan disyaki edar dadah
Kesemua suspek yang mempunyai pertalian keluarga dan aktif mengedar dadah antara enam hingga lapan bulan lalu itu ditahan jam 10.50 malam.
Seorang mangsa ditemui hidup dalam bangunan runtuh susulan gempa bumi
Penemuan tersebut ketika operasi mencari dan menyelamat pasukan bomba diteruskan.
14 maut akibat gempa bumi berukuran 6.4 magnitud di Albania
Sekurang-kurangnya enam maut susulan gempa bumi berukuran 6.4 magnitud yang menggegarkan Albania pada pagi Selasa.
Gempa bumi kuat 6.3 skala richter landa Albania
Tiada ancaman tsunami kepada Malaysia.
Dua gempa gegar Albania
Kata kementerian itu, gegaran dirasai di sepanjang pantai barat Albania.
Shaqiri, Xhaka hadapi tindakan disiplin
Gandingan itu meledak dalam separuh masa kedua untuk membantu Switzerland meraih kemenangan 2-1 di Russia, tetapi cara mereka meraikan gol mencuri perhatian ramai pihak.
'Dendam' anak Kosovo terlunas
Pertembungan di Kaliningrad petang Jumaat itu tidak sekadar sebuah perlawanan bola sepak intens, tetapi bergelumang dengan sejarah silam.
'Ayah babi' - netizen serang insta Dua Lipa
Instagram Dua Lipa kemudiannya diserang oleh netizen dari Malaysia yang mempersendakan penggunaan perkataan itu.
Dua Lipa berjubah, bertudung lawat masjid di Abu Dhabi
Dua Lipa meluahkan rasa kagum terhadap kecantikan seni bina masjid ketiga terbesar di dunia itu.
1 maut, tiga cedera dalam bencana banjir di Albania
Selain itu, 314 rumah turut musnah dan kira-kira 127,000 penduduk terputus bekalan elektrik manakala semua sekolah ditutup.
Dompok disenaraikan duta Malaysia ke Vatican City
Bekas Menteri Perusahaan Perladangan dan Komoditi Tan Sri Bernard Dompok disenaraikan sebagai bakal duta Malaysia ke Vatican City, Malta dan Albania.