Economy
Godolesh, Elbasan: Long drought kills half the cherry trees in a village that lives on cherries and olives
About 50% of the cherry trees in the mountain village have dried up over the past two to three years because of high temperatures and lack of rain, according to farmers.
By ANN Newsroom · Newsroom
October 25, 2026, 15:45 · Updated 18:40 · 1 min read
In brief
- About half of the cherry trees in Godolesh have dried up over the past two to three years.
- Farmers blame high temperatures and an unusually long drought.
- The mountain village depends solely on cherry and olive production.
The village of Godolesh in the mountainous area of Elbasan is losing the crop that has sustained it for generations. According to a Top Channel report on Sunday, about 50% of the cherry trees in the village have dried up over the past two to three years.
Heat and lack of rain
Local farmers attribute the damage to high temperatures and a drought they describe as unusually long. According to them, the losses are heavy and such a situation has never been recorded in the village before.
Godolesh is known for its cherries and, because of its mountainous terrain, has no other agricultural alternatives. For residents, every tree lost is one less source of income. The village economy relies solely on cherry and olive production, so the loss of trees directly hits household incomes.
A wound that lasts for years
Unlike a year with a poor harvest, a dead tree does not come back the following season: a new sapling takes several years before it bears fruit. This means the loss of half the orchard will weigh on farmers’ incomes for a long time.
The report gave no figures on the amount of lost output or the value of the damage in lek. Nor did it mention any support scheme from institutions for the area’s farmers. The Godolesh case adds to complaints from farmers in various parts of the country about the effects of increasingly hot and dry summers on fruit crops.
