Tirana, July 6, 1985 – Just a few months after the death of Enver Hoxha, in one of the most tense meetings of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Party of Labour of Albania, a fierce debate took place about the crisis in the livestock sector and the failures of the meat production plan.
The meeting was chaired by Ramiz Alia , and was attended by high-ranking figures such as Adil Çarçani , Lenka Çuko , Themije Thomai , Manush Myftiu , Hekuran Isai , Pali Miska , Foto Çami , Muho Asllani , Simon Stefani , Besnik Bekteshi , Vangjel Çërrava and others.
At the center of criticism was Mark Noga , director at the Ministry of Agriculture for the livestock sector.
Meat and livestock crisis: “The Livestock Directorate cannot do this job!”
From the beginning of the meeting, Ramiz Alia emphasized the unacceptable situation in the livestock sector and posed direct questions to Mark Noga, director of the Ministry of Agriculture. The lack of chemical fertilizers, the lack of silage, as well as the uneven distribution of specialists in the districts were discussed. Ramiz Alia ironically raised the fact that in some districts there were 10 agronomists and only one zootechnician:
“This is not fair. The ministry and the district executive committees are to blame for this.”
Themije Thomai explained that three directorates should be responsible for livestock problems: the Directorate of State Farms, the Directorate of Agricultural Cooperatives, and the Directorate of Livestock. But Ramiz Alia countered:
“Then why did you only bring the director of Livestock here?”
The Director of State Farms was absent from the meeting, which created dissatisfaction. Pali Miska explained that according to the decision of a previous meeting, the responsibility belonged to the Directorate of Cooperatives.
Failed organizational structure and debate over sector leadership
Manush Myftiu , with his experience in the agricultural sector, criticized the existing organization and said that the idea of dividing tasks between directorates had created great confusion. He also spoke about the lack of technical direction of the sector, the poor specialization of the staff, and the lack of control over the implementation of plans.
“There’s no way we can accept it!” – declared Ramiz Alia, rejecting the model of division of powers.
When salty soil produces political crisis: The debate over the Hoxhare complex
One of the strongest moments was when Ramiz Alia asked:
“Why are you building the cattle complex in Hoxharë, when the land is salty? Who approved it?”
Mark Noga admitted that the decision had been wrong, but added that there had been a lack of irrigation and that this had reduced the fertility of the land.
“130 million lek investments and nothing is produced!” – Alia expressed indignantly.
Manush Myftiu launched an attack:
“Then why were they built in such places when it was known that they were weak soils?”
Ramiz Alia ironically rebukes the ministers: “Start the criticism with the ministers!”
Highlighting the silence of the Ministry of Agriculture on the problems, Ramiz Alia said:
“Better start criticizing the ministry, and then the deputy ministers. Themija won’t listen to us! (laughter)”
Participants did not deny that there were duplicated structures, lack of cooperation, and lack of clarity in job descriptions.
Corn and forage failure – lack of silage and nitrate
Abdyl Backa denounced the fact that only 5% of the fertilizer plan was implemented on lands dedicated to livestock. Very little nitrate was used for livestock corn, unlike corn for consumption. Simon Stefani raised questions about the fertilizer planning and the low amount of feed for livestock.
Mark Noga admitted negligence:
“The failure is related to the fact that the level of production is very low and other crops are favored.”
Conclusions: Incompetence and chain blame
In the end, the failure of the livestock sector was not attributed to just one directorate, but to the entire system. The Ministry of Agriculture, local leaders, technical specialists, and the implementation of plans – all became objects of criticism.
“Practice will show which is better” – said Ramiz Alia, but reality showed that the system was collapsing.
This document offers a rare window into understanding how socialist planning functioned in the final years of the Albanian dictatorship: with debate, without clear accountability, and at high costs for the population.
