One of the largest fruit and vegetable collection companies in the country, Top Fruits, is in trouble. The Agency for Agricultural and Rural Development has sued Top Fruits in court, demanding that it return 1.5 million euros, money received from IPARD grants.
Kapitali publishes the lawsuit document, where AZHBR asks the largest fruit and vegetable collection company in the country to return the grant amount received in 2019, along with the relevant penalties.
In October 2019, Top Fruits, which at the time was called Doni Fruits, applied for support from European Union and Albanian government grants to build a collection point for fruits and vegetables in the Lushnja area.
The investment for the construction of the collection point was foreseen at 230 million lek, of which 86 million lek were financed by the IPARD grant and 28.7 million from the state budget grant.
In total, the company benefited from 114.7 million lek, or 1.2 million euros at the current exchange rate. But together with interest on arrears, the amount that this company is required to repay is over 1.5 million euros.
Company heading for bankruptcy?
Top Fruits was founded in 2013 by Burim and Ejup Ahmeti, two citizens from Kosovo. For many years it has been one of the largest exporters of fruits and vegetables in Albania, exporting an average of up to 10 million euros per year. In parallel, the company has been one of the largest beneficiaries of public funds.
In 2021, the SP MP, Erion Braçe, wrote on social networks that its owner has the largest export point, but with great help from the government. It has given it close to 100 million new lekë, plus the road from the ADF, plus a dedicated line for energy, plus a dedicated line for water.
However, after 2022, the company began to shrink rapidly. In 2023, the company's sales more than doubled compared to the previous year, falling to 5 million euros.
At the end of this year, half of the shares of Doni Fruits were purchased by Gjonaj Group for a value of around 1.5 million euros. Immediately after the sale, the company's name was changed from Doni Fruits to Top Fruits.
But even the entry of the new partner did not pull the company out of its financial difficulties. On the contrary, it continued to sink into a deep financial crisis.
For 2024, its sales continued to plummet, falling to 3 million euros, and after this year, Top Fruits no longer has published balance sheets, but only enforcement notices and seizure of shares from banks and other creditors seeking to recover debts.
This situation seems to make it difficult for the state to recover the 1.1 million euro grant that was given to the company, which together with the penalties amounts to 1.5 million euros.
Editorial
