For years, farmers have faced an equation that weighs directly on production prices: hard work, low profit and rising costs. One of the heaviest items in this balance is pesticides, which according to reported data account for more than 30% of agricultural production costs, while their market remains concentrated in a few operators.
A market worth millions of euros, controlled by a few companies
Customs data show that for 2025 and the January-August 2026 period, pesticide imports reached approximately 25 million euros. In 2025 alone, the value of chemicals unloaded by these businesses is estimated at 16.7 million euros, with a volume of 1,979 tons.
According to the same set of figures, the agricultural medicines market operates under oligopoly conditions, where the number of major importers is limited. This means that a segment with direct weight on farmers’ costs and on the final price for consumers remains in few hands.
Which companies dominate the sector
Seven operators are cited as dominant in the pesticide market for more than two decades. Among them are AGRO-BLEND, under the name of Fiqiri Ismaili, registered in 1995; SHEGAJ-AGR, opened in 2007 under the name of Adriatik Haderi; MELDI sh.p.k., under the names of Elina and Mehmet Shaholli, on the market since 2002; as well as ARLI INTERNACIONAL, active since 1993 and led by Agim Rameta.
This list also includes AGROHELP sh.p.k., established in 2004 and administered by the family of Aleksandër Koleci; AGRO-ZANI of Ramazan Kapllani in Berat, registered in 2021 but with activity that according to published data began earlier; as well as INTERLOGISTIC, the company of Edmond Hidro, registered in 2007.
Herbicides and fungicides carry the main weight
Among plant protection products, herbicides — the chemicals used against weeds — are the best-selling. In 2025, 573,000 kilograms of herbicides were imported.
Among the most expensive products are fungicides, preparations against fungal diseases in plants. For 525,000 kilograms, the cost reached 836,639,111 lek. Likewise, 406,545,253 lek were paid for 534,040 kilograms of insecticides, while 266,647 kilograms of disinfectants cost 83,326,227 lek. Rodenticides, used less frequently, reached 79,188 kilograms with a value of 25,248,546 lek.
The first eight months of 2026 and the competition investigation
For 2026, from January through August 31, 1.25 tons of pesticides were imported with a value of 8.2 million euros, according to the reported figures. The value remains high for a sector where input costs are passed along the chain to the farmer and then to the consumer.
In 2021, the Competition Authority opened an investigation into these businesses. According to this institution, some of the companies not only held exclusive patents for various pesticide imports, but were also among the same operators importing chemical fertilizers. This makes the issue of market concentration even more sensitive in a sector where the impact directly affects agriculture and food prices.
When more than 30% of production costs are linked to pesticides, market concentration does not remain merely a business issue. It becomes a problem for the farmer, for real competition and for the price paid by the consumer at the end of the chain.
Against this backdrop, the debate on agriculture is not limited only to subsidies or to statements by the agriculture minister, but also to the way key markets function to keep domestic production standing.