In the eighth election debate in the #DebatPernime series, all MP candidates agreed that developing Kosovo’s agricultural sector needs to be a national priority. The plans they laid out to get the country there, however, were overshadowed by quarrels about past and current party coalitions.

Nehat Emrullahu, an Alternativa MP candidate representing the LAA coalition, began the debate on agriculture and industry by declaring the food and the metal industries as priorities, as well as small and medium businesses.

Coalition partner Hykmete Bajrami, the Minister of Trade and Industry in Isa Mustafa’s Government, added, “We want to improve the business environment – and you know that we’ve worked very hard to turn negative indicators into positive ones,” referring to Kosovo’s progress in the latest World Bank “Doing Business” report.

Salih Salihu from Vetevendosje said that with Kosovo’s natural resources and young workforce, it is “incomprehensible to consume foreign products.” Salihu pledged 240 million euros in subsidies for agriculture development.

“Vetevendosje has declared agriculture a national priority. The Kosovo farmer needs to become equal to the regional farmers. Kosovo today lacks a chain of agricultural production, we need to add the processing chain, because we’re tired of consuming foreign imports.”

Imer Rusinovci, an AAK MP candidate representing PAN coalition, declared agriculture an AAK priority as well, because “we import 3 billion euros, and our budget is only 1.5 billion.”

“Our first priority is protecting, managing, and using the agricultural land. Our second priority is market competitiveness, not only in quantity but in quality. Our third priority is budget, including programs for agricultural and livestock production,” said Rusinovci.

Gezim Kelmendi from the Fjala party turned the conversation to corruption: “For the past 18 years we’ve had great interests from foreign investors and the diaspora, but they were victims to organized crime, sabotage, blackmail, and even extortion. It’s time that once and for all, citizens combat these bad politics to open the way for domestic products.”

After a round of remarks on how the candidates would stimulate domestic production–Fjala’s Kelmendi through foreign investments, loans, and integration into the regional market, PAN’s Rusinovci through monitoring quality in the field, and Vetevendosje’s Salihu through subsidies and “preventive measures at the border”– the conversation then turned to the past.

“Please spare us from numbers and promises, because for years [LDK] were in power. Their first promise was 120,000 new jobs, and what happened – 100,000 people left [the country]. You were in the government four times, you had time to prove yourself,” said Fjala’s Kelmendi.

Bajrami of the LAA coalition retorted: “In 2011 we promised to triple the budget, and we tripled it. We promised to establish the Fund for Loan Guarantees, and we established it.” Referring to LDK’s previous coalition partner, Kelmendi shot back,  “Respected minister, you had to leave the Assembly room multiple times because you gave up… she hasn’t fulfilled any promises, both coalition partners obstructed the projects.”

“PDK could not stop any of our positive initiatives while we were in government,” insisted Bajrami.

The heated debate continued in hostile tones even when Xharra turned the discussion to the next topic: the safety and quality of food in Kosovo.

Vetevendosje’s Salihu accused the former government of failing to ensure food quality, because the Food and Veterinary Agency, FVA, was corrupt.

“What hope can there be when this Ministry didn’t even fix the Food Agency, the one that is supposed to control the quality of food? It is the most corrupt and had the most scandals – it was directly under the PM’s supervision and the lady here,” said Salihu, referring to Minister Bajrami. Salihu then mentioned the scandal regarding the Devolli corporation importing subpar wheat, usually used to feed animals, and using it for flour production.

Bajrami denied that there were scandals, but later on admitted that in the past there were investigations into food quality, such as for milk and wheat.

“The last investigation was done at the request of PM Mustafa,” said Bajrami, before adding that the main problem was that the FVA was not part of the Ministry of Agriculture, a fact that LAA plans to change.

Meanwhile Kelmendi said that the first thing that Fjala would do is “depoliticize the FVA.” Kelmendi also accused the Ministry of publishing information that inspectors were going into the field in advanced, suggesting that the government was notifying gas stations before the inspectors arrived. “Nowhere in the world does a Ministry publish on their website that the inspectors are coming so the gas stations can get ready to serve us the right oil.”

“You have a moral responsibility about that,” demanded Kelmendi.