With USAID support, food processors have improved product quality, while the number of retail chains and franchises in Kosovo has multiplied. The next step is linking product supply with retailer demand. Through a one-day forum, 12 key buyers identified potential partners for cooperation; made pre-agreements on terms of cooperation; made test orders; asked for product specifications, and one major supermarket chain listed a product from a local processor. Additionally, local food processors learned about potential market demand and buyer requirements.
“We work with 15 Kosovo food processing companies at the moment and have imported some 500 products from Kosovo into the European market. Kosovo products are very competitive, and we are open for new partnerships,” said Meriton Shurdhani, co-founder of online supermarket Ekena.at, a diaspora initiative. However, to penetrate new markets, buyers emphasized that food processors should intensely focus on product consistency, certifications, and standards, and they offered assurances of their willingness to support local producers on this. USAID’s Kosovo Compete Activity, in partnership with food industry associations, will continue to support local food processors to improve product quality to meet buyer standards, strengthen their competitiveness, expand to new markets, and increase made-in-Kosovo food exports. USAID efforts are helping utilize a market systems approach that will increase the competitiveness of three key export-oriented sectors—wood processing, food processing, and Information and Communications Technologies (ICT).
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