Wrote: Etrit Rexhepi
Kosovo is said to have achieved a new record in the agricultural sector this year, that of wheat planting, with over 74 thousand hectares of planted area in total at the national level, or 21 thousand hectares more than last year. The value of the wheat yield is said to be over 56 million euros.
These are the claims offered by a Video material published yesterday (July 8) by Faton Peci, acting Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Development (MAFRD).
However, official figures deny these claims.
What was claimed with the posts yesterday?
In the video posted on his official Facebook account, with the caption "Good morning Kosovo with a new record in agriculture", acting minister Peci says: "Last year we set a record for crops and yields and ensured the bread of the year. And this year we have broken a new record. There are over 21 thousand hectares more planted with wheat than the previous year. Taken as a whole, with a minimum average, Kosovo has produced this year over 56 million euros in wheat value and over 74 thousand hectares at the national level, which is a new record in the agricultural sector.” (see here).
After the publication of this video, a photo was published on the Facebook page of the Vetëvendosje Movement (LVV), referring to the data from the statement of the acting minister. Among other things, the LVV post states: “The Minister of Agriculture, Faton Peci, has stated that Kosovo has broken the record for wheat planting, adding over 21,000 hectares compared to 2024 and reaching over 74,000 hectares in total, worth over 56 million euros." (see here).
Following LVV's post, the claim for 21 thousand more hectares planted with wheat than in 2024 was also made by Albin Kurti, the acting Prime Minister, through a post on his Facebook account, (see here).
A few hours later, on the same day, acting minister Peci published another video from a visit to a farmer in the village of Sopijë, Theranda. In the description of the video, he wrote, among other things: “The increase in areas planted with wheat compared to 2024 is 40%, or 21,500 hectares more, from 53 thousand hectares last year, this year we have reached a full 75 thousand hectares." (see here).
What was the area planted with wheat last year?
Hibrid.info has researched using the Google search engine, but has not found official statistics that would clarify how much area was planted with wheat in 2024 (see here).
Last year, hibrid.info researched the figures presented by Minister Peci regarding wheat crops, production and yield in Kosovo (see here). To compare the data then, hibrid.info was based on an article published in "Gazeta Express", where according to the response of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, it was indicated that based on the number of applications for subsidies, the total areas planted with wheat for 2024 were over 65 thousand hectares (see here).
Meanwhile, in a video published on September 23, 2024, from the Facebook page of the political entity "Partia GUXO", the acting minister and also the chairman of this party, Faton Peci, stated that the area planted with wheat for 2024 was 64 thousand hectares. "Dear citizens, this year the blessed land of Kosovo marked the largest record in history in wheat production, providing the bread of the world.”And“About 64 thousand hectares are planted with wheat this year alone.", among other things, is said in this video by Peci (see here).
The same video was also published on Faton Peci's Facebook account.
How much does it turn out that was the area planted with wheat last year from yesterday's post?
In the photo published yesterday (July 8) by LVV, it says:
"NEW RECORD IN WHEAT PLANTING – 2025
+ 21,000 more hectares planted compared to 2024.
In total, over 74,000 hectares of wheat have been planted nationwide – a new record for the agricultural sector in Kosovo.
Based on a minimum average price, the production value for this year is estimated at over 56 million euros." (see here).
According to the calculation with the data in this post, if over 74 thousand hectares were planted this year, or 21 thousand hectares more than last year, by subtracting this last amount from this year's total, it means that 53 thousand hectares were planted in 2024. And this amount does not coincide with the amounts of 64 thousand (as stated in the video) and 65 thousand (as stated in the article), which were mentioned by the acting minister and the Ministry of Agriculture for last year.
Has a new record been reached in wheat planting this year?
From Kosovo Green Report 2023 compiled by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, which includes data for the period 2018–2022, it results that the largest area planted with wheat was recorded in 2018 (81,123 ha), while the smallest in 2022 (79,984 ha).
Courses, Agricultural Farm Survey 2023, published by the Kosovo Agency of Statistics (KAS), shows that the area planted with wheat in 2023 was 80,025.01 ha.
Conclusion:
The claim of the acting Minister of Agriculture, Faton Peci, that Kosovo has set a new record with the areas planted with wheat (74 thousand hectares), does not hold true. According to official statistics, during the years 2018–2023, the areas planted with wheat were larger compared to this year. While for the year 2024, there is no official data.
The only data available for last year are statements by Minister Peci and MAFRD officials, who said that the areas planted with wheat were 64 to 65 thousand hectares. Meanwhile, for 2024, acting Minister Peci is now claiming that 53 thousand hectares of wheat were planted.
In accordance with the criteria for categorizing statements related to objective and verifiable facts, Pec's statement about the new record falls into the category of truthfulness.
Meanwhile, the comparison between the current and previous public statements of Minister Peci regarding the areas planted with wheat for 2024 shows that we are dealing with an assessment of the sustainability of the statements.
Based on the methodology for evaluating the statements, the claim for a new record in wheat planted areas is assessed as "untrue", while the change in the figure from 64 thousand to 53 thousand hectares planted with wheat makes the statement "unsustainable".
Reasoning:
In the category of truthfulness, those statements that contain statements related to objective facts, the accuracy of which can be determined through objective verification, are evaluated. Statements treated in this category receive the assessment – false statement, half-truth, or even true statement.
The category of stability assesses the subjective positions of public office holders on issues within their field of work and competences, as well as their actions in relation to the expressed views. The assessment of stability is given on the basis of a comparison between the current and previously publicly stated views of political actors. If positions on an issue do not change during the public engagement of the monitored person, such statements are assessed as stable. Whereas if there has been a significant change in positions, such statements are assessed as unstable.