Kosovo

Kosovo’s pepper sector is one of the mainstays of the country’s horticultural industry, with production surpassing 50,000 metric tons annually and cultivated across 4,449 hectares in peak years. Key pepper varieties include Somborka and yellow wax mild types, grown in fertile valleys like those surrounding the Drini i Bardhë river.

Pepper farming in Kosovo blends traditional methods and open-field agriculture, while indoor and greenhouse production remains largely untapped. Peppers are sold mostly on the domestic market, but exports have increased, particularly in late summer, with Montenegro and Serbia as leading destinations.

Kosovo’s robust family and women’s cooperatives, such as KB Krusha, play a growing role in production, export, and iconic processed foods like ajvar.