Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...

has a slowly developing plain

industry Industry may refer to: Economics * Industry (economics), a generally categorized branch of economic activity * Industry (manufacturing), a specific branch of economic activity, typically in factories with machinery * The wider industrial sector ...

. In 2009, the Industry accounted for 22.60 of

GDP Gross domestic product (GDP) is a monetary measure of the market value of all the final goods and services produced and sold (not resold) in a specific time period by countries. Due to its complex and subjective nature this measure is ofte ...

and a general

workforce The workforce or labour force is a concept referring to the pool of human beings either in employment or in unemployment. It is generally used to describe those working for a single company or industry, but can also apply to a geographic reg ...

of 800,000 employees. It's o
150
th place, compared to the rest of the world. There are numerous reasons for this kind of stagnation, ranging from consecutive occupations, political turmoil and the recent

Kosovo War The Kosovo War was an armed conflict in Kosovo that started 28 February 1998 and lasted until 11 June 1999. It was fought by the forces of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (i.e. Serbia and Montenegro), which controlled Kosovo before the wa ...

(1999).Asllan, Pushka. "Gjeografia 12". Libri Shkollor (2005). p. 77.

Overview

Kosovo has several industry sectors, as the most developed ones are:

Ferrous In chemistry, the adjective Ferrous indicates a compound that contains iron(II), meaning iron in its +2 oxidation state, possibly as the divalent cation Fe2+. It is opposed to " ferric" or iron(III), meaning iron in its +3 oxidation state, suc ...

and Non-Ferrous, Metallurgy and

Mining Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the economic ...

. In northern Kosovo, near the town of Mitrovica, sits a huge dilapidated industrial site known as the Trepca mining complex. During the 1980s, it employed 20,000 workers and accounted for 70 percent of all Yugoslavia's mineral wealth. One economist described Trepča as a "colossal conglomerate composed of more than forty mines, foundries, and subsidiary plants – which at its height generated 25% of the entire regional industrial production and figured among the principal exporters of the ex-Yugoslavia.' According to the same study, 'In the subsoil of Kosovo, one of the richest of Europe, enormous deposits are hidden of lignite, lead, zinc, non-ferric metals, gold, silver and petroleum," on top of 17 billion tons of coal.Asllan, Pushka. "Gjeografia 12". Libri Shkollor (2005). p. 78. As of 2019, the Ferronikeli mine and smelter operation was "the largest exporter in Kosovo, accounting for about 40% of the country's exports". Other developed industry sectors in Kosovo are

Energy In physics, energy (from Ancient Greek: ἐνέργεια, ''enérgeia'', “activity”) is the quantitative property that is transferred to a body or to a physical system, recognizable in the performance of work and in the form of hea ...

Textile Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...

and Food Industries,

Tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mor ...

, etc. Kosovo Energy Corporation J.S.C (KEK) is the sole power corporation in the Republic of Kosovo. KEK is vertically integrated and was legally incorporated in 2005. KEK was part of the

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

power system, and focused in production of energy from coal, with power supplied from plants outside of Kosovo. By the late 1990s, the core business of the Corporation became the production of coal and energy in Kosovo, through two open-cast coal mines - the Mirash mine and Bardh mine - and two power plants, PP Kosova A power station and PP Kosova B power station, which cover the territory of Kosovo. There are approximately 400,000 customers and 8,000 employees in different sectors. There was no privatization of other sectors; hence most of them are dysfunctional.

History of Industry

Before Kosovo War (1999)

In 1455,

Novo Brdo Novo Brdo ( sr-Cyrl, Ново Брдо), or Novobërda and Artana ( sq-definite, Novobërdë or ''Artanë''), is a municipality located in the Pristina district of Kosovo. According to the 2011 census, it has a population of 6,729 inhabitants. T ...

was completely destroyed by Turks who occupied it, when about 40,000 inhabitants were sent to Asia, as slaves. The English bought concession in 1926, and the enterprise 'Trepca Mines Limited' existed under this name from 1927 until the end of the Second World War. In the 1950s, the Kosovo's industry structure was poor. Non-ferrous metallurgy made the most effort and gave the most value to production and employed almost the half of employees in the mining industry. Construction materials made one eighth of it, as much as the coal, and half of it tobacco, wood and textile industry. The industries which generated the most of the revenues in 1987 were:

electricity Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter that has a property of electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as describ ...

, production of machinery,

ferrous metallurgy Ferrous metallurgy is the metallurgy of iron and its alloys. The earliest surviving prehistory, prehistoric iron artifacts, from the 4th millennium BC in Egypt, were made from meteorite, meteoritic Iron–nickel alloy, iron-nickel. It is not know ...

textile Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...

, electrical appliances, metal works, food processing industry, footwear and

wood Industry The wood industry or timber industry (sometimes lumber industry -- when referring mainly to sawed boards) is the industry concerned with forestry, logging, timber trade, and the production of primary forest products and wood products (e.g. furnit ...

through 1980 reached considerable development level but in the 1990s it had stagnation in the development, manufacturing, employment and export. This stage and the war contributed to nearly complete collapse of Kosovo industry. ''Other production: In the period from 1965-1985, several factories for processing of metals were built, such as:'' * Production of lead accumulators in Mitrovica and Peć, * Processing of gold and silver in Prizren, * Factory of zinc coated sheet in Vučitrn, * Factory for production of nickel-cadmium batteries in Gjilan.

After Kosovo War (1999)

Kosovo was in very serious economic and social situation, i.e. it was in state of

emergency An emergency is an urgent, unexpected, and usually dangerous situation that poses an immediate risk to health, life, property, or environment and requires immediate action. Most emergencies require urgent intervention to prevent a worsening ...

. There was an immediate need for shelters, food, housing and refurbishment of houses and apartments. After the emergency phase, the commercialization process started in factories which failed to resume production in many factories (except few). The

privatization Privatization (also privatisation in British English) can mean several different things, most commonly referring to moving something from the public sector into the private sector. It is also sometimes used as a synonym for deregulation when ...

process started in 2003, but there were delays and it failed to function properly for many reasons.

Mineral resources

Kosovo territory possesses significant

lignite coal Lignite, often referred to as brown coal, is a soft, brown, combustible, sedimentary rock formed from naturally compressed peat. It has a carbon content around 25–35%, and is considered the lowest rank of coal due to its relatively low heat ...

reserves of around 14 billion tonnes, small quantities of

nuclear matter Nuclear matter is an idealized system of interacting nucleons ( protons and neutrons) that exists in several phases of exotic matter that, as of yet, are not fully established. It is ''not'' matter in an atomic nucleus, but a hypothetical s ...

, resources geothermal energy level low and

natural gas Natural gas (also called fossil gas or simply gas) is a naturally occurring mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons consisting primarily of methane in addition to various smaller amounts of other higher alkanes. Low levels of trace gases like carbo ...

potential area. Kosovo has mineral resources deposits with the European level, it mainly has large reserves of

silver Silver is a chemical element with the symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical ...

zinc Zinc is a chemical element with the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. Zinc is a slightly brittle metal at room temperature and has a shiny-greyish appearance when oxidation is removed. It is the first element in group 12 (IIB) of the periodi ...

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal is formed when ...

lead Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cu ...

copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...

iron Iron () is a chemical element with Symbol (chemistry), symbol Fe (from la, Wikt:ferrum, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 element, group 8 of the periodic table. It is, Abundanc ...

nickel Nickel is a chemical element with symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel is a hard and ductile transition metal. Pure nickel is chemically reactive but large pieces are slow ...

and

bauxite Bauxite is a sedimentary rock with a relatively high aluminium content. It is the world's main source of aluminium and gallium. Bauxite consists mostly of the aluminium minerals gibbsite (Al(OH)3), boehmite (γ-AlO(OH)) and diaspore (α-AlO ...

. That meets classification standards international trade (UNFC,

JORC There are several classification systems for the economic evaluation of mineral deposits worldwide. The most commonly used schemes base on the International Reporting Template, developed by the CRIRSCO - Committee for Mineral Reserves International ...

). In 2005 the Directorate for Mines and Minerals and the World Bank estimated that Kosovo had €13.5 Billion worth of minerals. However, Kosovo has a high density of population and buildings by South-Eastern European standards, and full exploitation of these resources at an acceptable environmental cost may not be easy. Coal Coal

Coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal is formed when ...

(lignite) is the most important energy resource of

, which supplies about 97% of total electricity production. Estimated coal resources in throughout Kosovo are 12.5 billion tons, 8.6 billion tons of reserves are that economically exploitable considered profitable. The wealth of the mine in Sibofc ibovacis estimated at 6.5 billion euros, wealth of Trepca at 3 billion, wealth of

Ferronickel Ferroalloy refers to various alloys of iron with a high proportion of one or more other elements such as manganese (Mn), aluminium (Al), or silicon (Si). They are used in the production of steels and alloys. The alloys impart distinctive qualitie ...

2 billion, whereas the wealth of the resources in other parts of Kosovo were estimated at 2 billion euros. At 14,700 Mt, Kosovo possesses the world's fifth-largest proven reserves of lignite. The lignite is distributed across the Kosovo, Dukagjin and Drenica Basins, although mining has so far been restricted to the Kosovo Basin. The first systematic records of lignite exploitation date from 1922, when small-scale, shallow underground room-and-pillar mining commenced in the Kosovo Basin. Large-scale winning of lignite began with the first production from the Mirash (1958) and Bardh (1969) open-pit mines, using bucket wheel excavators. Bauxite

Bauxite Bauxite is a sedimentary rock with a relatively high aluminium content. It is the world's main source of aluminium and gallium. Bauxite consists mostly of the aluminium minerals gibbsite (Al(OH)3), boehmite (γ-AlO(OH)) and diaspore (α-AlO ...

carrying region is part of the Orahovac massif of

ultramafic rocks Ultramafic rocks (also referred to as ultrabasic rocks, although the terms are not wholly equivalent) are igneous and meta-igneous rocks with a very low silica content (less than 45%), generally >18% MgO, high FeO, low potassium, and are compos ...

. The origin and appearances stretching the bauxite Gremnikut Mountain, 5 to southeast of Kline. Bauxite of Kosovo belongs to the group of ferro-bauxite due to the high content of iron. Dynamics of bauxite reserves are about 2.7 Mt and reserves

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

reach accompanying figure of about 40 Mt17. The mine began operations in 1966. 1990 wide since 1966, 3255615 t bauxite were used. The largest annual production passed 200,000 tons/year. Quartz Industrial mineral

quartz Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral composed of silica ( silicon dioxide). The atoms are linked in a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon-oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall chemical ...

as high quality found in eastern Kosovo, central and south. Appearances and most popular fields found in: Strezoc, south of Binçës Bukovikut west and Debelde. Reserves of quartz in Strezoci are estimated to be in the area and Mt 2.53. Binça,3.1 Mt and Bukovikut (southeast of Kosovo) contains about 19 Mm ³. Gold In the Republic of Kosovo presented in paragjenezë

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...

with copper ore, lead and pure zinc (born) in the river alluvial deposits. Now extensive gold and

are extracted only from the lead-zinc ores. Gold mineralization is associated with deposits of

and

. In Mine Novo Brdo gold content is higher and this mine is known as the gas field higher composition of gold in Kosovo. Resources gold mine Artana estimated to be 2700 kg. According fields, evaluated the content of gold: Stanterg: 0.6 g/t, Bellobërdë: 0.7 g/t, Cernac: 1.0 g/t, Hajvali: 0.5 g / t, Kizhnica: 1.1 g/t, Badoc: 12:25 g/t, Artanë: 1.6 g/t, Crepulë: 12:13 g/t18. Magnesite Kosovo possesses two magnesite (MgCO₃) mines at Golesh and Strezovc. Both were originally worked as quarries and both moved to underground operations prior to their closure in 1999. Before 1990, the Golesh operation produced 110,000 t of magnesite, 22,000 t of sintered magnesia and 10,000 t of caustic calcite magnesia per annum. The Golesh mine is accessed via a shaft, where as Strezovc is accessed via a horizontal adit in the hillside. Nickel Nickel chunk

Former open-pit mining operations based on late rite were undertaken at Çikatova (Dushkaja and Suke) and Gllavica. Remaining mineable reserves have been calculated as 13.2 Mt averaging 1.42%

and 0.05%

cobalt Cobalt is a chemical element with the symbol Co and atomic number 27. As with nickel, cobalt is found in the Earth's crust only in a chemically combined form, save for small deposits found in alloys of natural meteoric iron. The free element, p ...

. Production stopped in 1999 and has yet to resume. The socially owned enterprise (SOE) 'Ferronikeli' mining complex has been put to international competitive tender for privatization. Chromium A chain of Alpine-type chromite pods in southwestern Kosovo are part of a series of linear deposits that continue into Albania. These pods are small but of high grade and in Albania are known to possess enhanced levels of

platinum group metals The platinum-group metals (abbreviated as the PGMs; alternatively, the platinoids, platinides, platidises, platinum group, platinum metals, platinum family or platinum-group elements (PGEs)) are six noble, precious metallic elements clustered t ...

(PGM). From the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

until 1956, the ores were worked, primarily from the Gjakova mine by the Deva holding company, and direct-shipping ore was sent to

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

for treatment. When the high-grade ore was depleted, Kosovo began importing 30,000- 50,000 t/y of chromites ore from Albania. This ceased when the plant was closed in 1991. No meaningful exploration for chrome has been undertaken for several decades.

Sectors

Trepca Mine

The Trepca mining complex in Kosovo is a huge dilapidated industrial site near Mitrovice. For the first time in literature the name Trepca was specified in 1303 in some documents in archive of

Dubrovnik Dubrovnik (), historically known as Ragusa (; see notes on naming), is a city on the Adriatic Sea in the region of Dalmatia, in the southeastern semi-exclave of Croatia. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterran ...

.The first geological research started in 1924. The British, who built the plant in 1927 and supposedly secured a 50-year concession, terminated in 1941, are demanding compensation. In 1930, starts trial production of lead - zinc sulfide mineralization in this source. During

the

Germans , native_name_lang = de , region1 = , pop1 = 72,650,269 , region2 = , pop2 = 534,000 , region3 = , pop3 = 157,000 3,322,405 , region4 = , pop4 = ...

hold Trepca mine in working condition, but with a reduced level of production. From 1945 until 1990, the mine has been working non-stop, with an average production capacity of about 600,000 tons per year. In the tunels of the Trepca Mine

However, after the war, during the period 2000 - 2004, the mine has not produced, but has been researching and preparing for production

workshops Beginning with the Industrial Revolution era, a workshop may be a room, rooms or building which provides both the area and tools (or machinery) that may be required for the manufacture or repair of manufactured goods. Workshops were the onl ...

. So in 2005 the mine began producing Pb and Zn with minimum capacity. The greatest success achieved by Trepca combine in 1983 was when Trepca exported goods worth of 103 million dollars, ranking the fifth in its own exporters in the former

. For 58 years of productive work, combine Trepca has produced 33 million tons of ore containing average 9% (Pb and Zn), or about 3 million tons of metal (Pb and Zn). Trepça Mines Limited Contract

Trepca complex has 14.700 million tons of lignite reserves used for energy production in Kosovo, making Kosovo the fifth country in the world for lignite reserves. This mining complex comprises about 40 mines.

Mineral In geology and mineralogy, a mineral or mineral species is, broadly speaking, a solid chemical compound with a fairly well-defined chemical composition and a specific crystal structure that occurs naturally in pure form.John P. Rafferty, ed. (2 ...

list contains entries from the region specified including sub-localities: * Anglesite * Ankerite * Aragonite * Arsenopyrite * Baryte * Bismuth * Bismuthinite * Bornite * Boulangerite * Bournonite * Calcite * Manganoan Calcite * Cerussite * Chalcanthite * Chalcophanite * Chalcopyrite * Childrenite * 'Chlorite Group' * Coronadite * Cosalite * Covellite * Crandallite * Cubanite * Dickite * Diopside * Dolomite * Enargite * Epidote * Falkmanite * Freibergite * Galena * 'Garnet' * Gold * Gypsum * Hedenbergite * Hematite * Heteromorphite * Ilvaite * Indium * Jamesonite * 'Limonite' * Löllingite * Ludlamite * Mackinawite * Magnetite * Marcasite * Melanterite * 'Melnikovite' * Muscovite * var: Illite * 'Plumosite' * Polybasite * 'Psilomelane' * Pyrargyrite * Pyrite * Pyrostilpnite * Pyrrhotite * Quartz * var: Chalcedony * Rhodochrosite * Scheelite * Siderite * var: Oligonite * Smithsonite * Sphalerite * Marmatite * Stannite * Stephanite * Stibnite * Struvite * Tennantite * Tetrahedrite * Valleriite * Vivianite * Wollastonite

The Energy Industry

Energy Corporation J.S.C (KEK) is the sole power corporation in the Republic of Kosovo. KEK is vertically integrated and was legally incorporated in 2005. KEK was part of the

power system, and focused in production of energy from

, with power supplied from plants outside of Kosovo. By the late 1990s, the core business of the Corporation became the production of coal and energy in Kosovo, through two open-cast coal mines - the Mirash mine and Bardh mine - and two

power plants A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electrical grid. Many pow ...

, PP Kosova A power station (880 MW, 40 year old) in poor condition and is the worst single-point source of pollution in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

that was proposed to be shut down and PP Kosova B power station (700 MW, 27 year old) needs rehabilitation to meet EU environmental standards, which cover the territory of Kosovo. 98% of electricity generation in Kosovo comes from these two old, inefficient and highly polluting lignite-fired power plants. There are approximately 1,900,000 customers and 60,000 employees in different sectors.

Automotive components industry

Shock Absorber Factory

Prishtina Pristina, ; sr, / (, ) is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. The city's municipal boundaries in Pristina District form the largest urban center in Kosovo. After Tirana, Pristina has the second largest population of ethnic Albanians and ...

and Ramiz Sadiku are the two best known flagships of automotive component industrialization in Kosovo, which produced primarily

car seat A car seat is the seat used in automobiles. Most car seats are made from inexpensive but durable material in order to withstand prolonged use. The most common material is polyester. Bucket seat and bench seat A bucket seat is a separate ...

s and small

vehicle parts This is a list of auto parts, mostly for vehicles using internal combustion engines which are manufactured components of automobiles: Car body and main parts Body components, including trim Doors Windows Low voltage/auxiliary ele ...

, which produced shock absorbers for various well-known brands such as British Armstrong, German Susta as well as French Peugeot among others. Between 1989 and 1990 the Shock Absorber Factory employed over 1,500 workers and produced 3.3 million units each year.

Ferrous Industry

First industrial object was built in

Peć Peja ( Indefinite Albanian form: ''Pejë'' ) or Peć ( sr-Cyrl, Пећ ) is the fourth largest city of Kosovo and seat of Peja Municipality and Peja District. It is situated in the region of Rugova on the eastern section of the Accursed Moun ...

(1968), 8,400 workers worked in this Industry (1987). In Prizren, Factory 'Famipa'- accessories for kitchen and sanitary fittings of gold and silver. In Gjakovë 'Metaliku', 'Metalac' in Janjevë, 'Vinex' in Viti and reinforcement steel factory in Podujevë. This industry produced

metal A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...

packaging,

stoves A stove or range is a device that burns fuel or uses electricity to generate heat inside or on top of the apparatus, to be used for general warming or cooking. It has evolved highly over time, with cast-iron and induction versions being develope ...

, and

tin Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn (from la, stannum) and atomic number 50. Tin is a silvery-coloured metal. Tin is soft enough to be cut with little force and a bar of tin can be bent by hand with little effort. When bent, t ...

and steel constructions, aluminum utensils, etc.Asllan, Pushka. "Gjeografia 12". Libri Shkollor (2005). p. 81.

Non-ferrous Industry

Given that

was rich in non-ferrous

metals A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typical ...

(magnesium, marl, cement, kaolin for tiles, clay, quartz, gravel, etc.). The quicklime and slaked lime were produced in Kaçanik and the cement was produced in

Elez Han Hani i Elezit or Elez Han ( sq-definite, Han i Elezit or ''Hani i Elezit''; sr, Ђенерал Јанковић, ''Đeneral Janković''; officially Елез Хан, ''Elez Han'') is a town and municipality located in the Ferizaj District of Ko ...

(240,000 tons per year). The bricks and tiles were produced in

Pristina Pristina, ; sr, / (, ) is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. The city's municipal boundaries in Pristina District form the largest urban center in Kosovo. After Tirana, Pristina has the second largest population of ethnic Albanians an ...

, Podujevo,

Skenderaj Skenderaj ( sq-definite, Skënderaj or ''Skënderaji'') or Srbica ( sr-Cyrl, Србица) is a town and municipality located in the Mitrovica District of Kosovo. According to the 2011 census, the town of Skënderaj has 9,372 inhabitants, while ...

and

Gjakova Gjakova, ) and Đakovica ( sr-Cyrl, Ђаковица, ) is the seventh largest city of Kosovo and seat of Gjakova Municipality and Gjakova District. The city has 40,827 inhabitants, while the municipality has 94,556 inhabitants. Geographicall ...

, and this Industry employed more than 12,000 workers (2014).

Paper Industry

Wood Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin ...

and

paper Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, rags, grasses or other vegetable sources in water, draining the water through fine mesh leaving the fibre evenly distrib ...

industry were placed in some centres, where they produced planks, panel boards and plywood, parquet, doors, windows, chairs, tables, various furniture, paper, wrapping papers. City of Pejë, as an area rich in forests has prompted the development of this industry and had the most famous Factory 'Wood Combine and Furniture Factory'. In Deçan (parquet factory); 'Radusha' (doors and windows factory) in Istog;

Wallpaper Wallpaper is a material used in interior decoration to decorate the interior walls of domestic and public buildings. It is usually sold in rolls and is applied onto a wall using wallpaper paste. Wallpapers can come plain as "lining paper" (so ...

and Furniture Factory in Prishinë; 'Javor' –

wood processing Wood processing is an engineering discipline in the wood industry comprising the production of forest products, such as pulp and paper, construction materials, and tall oil. Paper engineering is a subfield of wood processing. The major wood pro ...

factory in Podujevë; paper and paperboard mill in Lipjan. This industry employed more than 8,000 workers.Asllan, Pushka. "Gjeografia 12". Libri Shkollor (2005). p. 83.

Textile

With over 200 years of tradition, textiles were the second largest industrial sector in

, after mining. In the past, products from Kosovar manufacturers targeted the local market, as well as other markets throughout the former

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

and

Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russia, whic ...

and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. At its peak around 1990, each of the 15 SOEs engaged in textile production employed more than 1,000 people and sales totaled some 600 million

Euro The euro ( symbol: €; code: EUR) is the official currency of 19 out of the member states of the European Union (EU). This group of states is known as the eurozone or, officially, the euro area, and includes about 340 million citizens . ...

The most renowned centres of this industry were 'Kosova' in Pristina; 'Polet' in Vučitrn; 'Printex' and 'Sintelon' in Prizren; 'Emin Duraku' and 'Konfeksion' in Gjakovë; 'Integji' and 'Taftingi' in Gjilan. Production line consisted of, but not limited to:

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor pe ...

wool Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool. ...

, synthetic fabrics,

knitwear Knitted fabric is a textile that results from knitting, the process of inter-looping of yarns or inter-meshing of loops. Its properties are distinct from woven fabric in that it is more flexible and can be more readily constructed into smaller pi ...

, apparel clothing,

curtains A curtain is a piece of cloth or other material intended to block or obscure light, air drafts, or (in the case of a shower curtain), water. A curtain is also the movable screen or drape in a theatre that separates the stage from the auditoriu ...

carpets A carpet is a textile floor covering typically consisting of an upper layer of pile attached to a backing. The pile was traditionally made from wool, but since the 20th century synthetic fibers such as polypropylene, nylon, or polyester have ...

, etc. Textile sector employed more than 14,000 workers and most of its products were exported abroad. Recent developments in the region have frozen the primary trading links of the textile industry, causing lower

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

rates and resulting in a lack of competitiveness with foreign products. As a result, a major share of former SOE workers has become redundant. A minor part has, however, established private textile companies. Currently there are some 451 private companies engaged in textile production, out of which 90 percent are final product manufacturers. Although the textile industry has experienced a significant recovery during the past years, the majority of businesses are still small and take the form of micro enterprises. Consequently, they cater solely for the Kosovo market and are primarily geared towards a niche market.

Wine Industry

Grape-growing and wine culture has a long tradition in

. While local small-scale wine – production was introduced rampantly during the last twenty years, the wine industry in Kosovo became large-scale in the 1970s with the founding of the first larger SOEs. During its "glory days", the

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...

industry benefited from 9,000 ha vineyard area, divided into private and public ownership, and spread mainly throughout the south and west of Kosovo. The four state-owned wine production facilities were not as much "wineries" as they were "wine factories". Only the Rahovec facility that held app. 36 percent of the total

vineyard A vineyard (; also ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is known as viticulture. Vineya ...

area had the capacity of around 50 million liters annually. The major share of the wine production was intended for exports. At its peak in 1989, the exports from the Rahovec facility amounted to 40 million litres and were mainly distributed to the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

market. Vineyards and Wine The art of grape growing and processing in Kosovo is similar to that of other Albanian and Balkans lands. Grape growing has an ancient history of more than 2000 years. The evidence for this is provided by historic data, various toponyms, proverbs, and many archaeological sites. Some of the most important archaeological pieces found include two slabs in the village of Reti, Municipality of Rahovec, with text inscriptions on grapevine, leaf, and cluster. Furthermore, a gravestone dating back in 2nd century AD found in the Helvetia Great Tekke in Rahovec, contains text in Latin and an engraved grapevine - a thousand years ancient evidence of grape growing. The Republic of Kosovo, with an area of 3.200 hectares of vineyards, is amongst the small winemaking countries of Europe. Vineyards are grown only in a limited number of municipalities. The grape and wine sector are of special economic importance to the municipalities where vineyards are grown. The biggest vineyard regions include Orahovac, Suva Reka, Prizren, Gjakova, Mališevo, and other municipalities with grape growing and wine making potential. Current Status of Viticulture Based on the vineyards registry, the Republic of Kosovo has 3200 hectares of vineyards. The entire viticulture sector is privately owned. Two big enterprises operational in Orahovac (Stone Castle) and Suva Reka (Agrokosova Holding) have been privatized by special spin off procedure, and currently have an active area of 850 hectares of vineyards, comprising 27% of the total area of active vineyards in Kosovo. Grape Cultivars Grape cultivars/varieties in Kosovo mainly (around 65%) belong to red grape. The most represented cultivars are: Vranac, Smederevkë, Prokupë of autochthonous origin (Balkans), and parts of cultivars mainly of French origin: Gamay, Pinot Noir, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Climate Conditions Kosovo has a mild continental climate, with Mediterranean influence affecting the Dukagjini Plain through the Drini i Bardhë Valley. Kosovo features cold winters and hot summers. The agro-climatic conditions are suitable for grape growing, in particular for early cultivars, whilst late ones may be problematic at the harvest time. Kosovo has 276 sunny days per year, thus helping grape to ripen and bringing Kosovo on equal par to some well-known wine making regions from this point of view. Grape is usually grown in steep hilly areas with good exposure to sun. The altitude in the areas where grape is grown in Kosovo ranges from 350 to 600 meters. The soil conditions are suitable for vineyard development, meaning that in many cases the soil is hardly used for other purposes. The geographical position of our country provides optimal Mediterranean climate conditions for grape growing with high production quantity and quality. The influence of the Drini i Bardhë Valley and the abundant rivers flow from East to West create a variety of climates and microclimates, making for a broad economic interest in growing vineyards. The plenty of light, the sufficient active temperatures, abundant precipitation in autumn, winter, and spring times that create sufficient water reserves beneath the soil, all contribute to the production of grape starting from mid July until mid October, with high consumption values.

Production of Raki

Country's dispersed grape-growers and mass-oriented producers are well-suited for the Raki production (distilled grape brandy ) While uneven viticulture techniques among small grape-growers can impact the quality of wines, the distillation process that creates Raki can mask variations in quality of the

grapes A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus ''Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. The cultivation of grapes began perhaps 8,000 years ago, ...

and still create a product that is potent and drinkable.

Tourism

The natural values of

represent quality tourism resources. The description of Country's potential in tourism is closely related to the geographic position of Kosovo. Its position in south-eastern

, with a central position in the Balkan Peninsula, represents a crossroad which historically dates back to Illyrian and

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

times. The mountainous south of Kosovo has great potential for winter tourism. Skiing, one of the most interesting opportunities for foreign investors in this region is the skiing resort Brezovica in the SharrMountains. It offers perfect weather and snow conditions for ski seasons from November to May. Brezovica run

Brezovica also includes three hotels with 680 rooms, two Restaurants and nine ski lifts with transport capacity of 10,000 skiers per hour. With close proximity to Pristina Airport (60 km) and Skopje Airport (70 km), the resort is a possible destination for international tourists and has the potential to become the most desired winter tourism destination in the

Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

. Also in the

Šar Mountains The Šar Mountains (Serbian and mk, Шар Планина, Šar Planina, colloquially also ) or Sharr Mountains ( sq, Malet e Sharrit), form a mountain range in the Balkans that extends from Kosovo and the northwest of North Macedonia to north ...

in the very south of the country, bordering

North Macedonia North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Yugoslavia. It ...

and

is offering for privatization about 22,000 hectares of largely untouched land in the mountainous area, belonging to the socially owned enterprise "Sharrprodhimi". The region offers excellent

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mor ...

opportunities, such as

skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow. Variations of purpose include basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee ( ...

eco-tourism Ecotourism is a form of tourism involving responsible travel (using sustainable transport) to natural areas, conserving the environment, and improving the well-being of the local people. Its purpose may be to educate the traveler, to provide fund ...

paragliding Paragliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure. The pilot sits in a harness or lies supine in a cocoon-like 'p ...

, mountain biking, rock climbing,

trekking Backpacking is the outdoor recreation of carrying gear on one's back, while hiking for more than a day. It is often an extended journey, and may involve camping outdoors. In North America tenting is common, where simple shelters and mountain h ...

, kayaking,

horse riding Equestrianism (from Latin , , , 'horseman', 'horse'), commonly known as horse riding (Commonwealth English) or horseback riding (American English), includes the disciplines of riding, driving, and vaulting. This broad description includes the ...

, etc. The Sharrprodhimi land in the municipality of

Dragash Dragash or Sharr ( sq-definite, Dragashi or ''Sharri'') or Dragaš ( sr-cyr, Драгаш), is a town and municipality located in the Prizren District of Kosovo. According to the 2011 census, the town of Dragash has 1,098 inhabitants, while the ...

is stunningly beautiful. It is clearly a remarkable property for

, and will only be sold to a proven investor who is committed to a sustainable and rational development program which will have strong local support. Apart from the above-mentioned tourism resorts, Kosovo is generally rich with

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually highe ...

artificial lakes A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

and

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of w ...

s and therefore also offers prime possibilities for

hunting Hunting is the human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products ( fur/ hide, bone/tusks, horn/antler, ...

and

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...

Annotations

References

External links

* http://www.theodora.com/wfbcurrent/kosovo/kosovo_international_rankings_2013.html * https://web.archive.org/web/20140302174701/https://ritdml.rit.edu/bitstream/handle/1850/14112/Sytrime_Dervisholli_CapstoneProject_Report_8-31-2011.pdf * http://www.invest-ks.org/repository/docs/Top10IPAK2012_758339.pdf * https://web.archive.org/web/20131104072918/http://www.eciks.org/english/publications/InvestinginKosovo_2011_Web.pdf * http://www.invest-ks.org/repository/docs/factsheet-press_585369.pdf * http://www.invest-ks.org/repository/docs/Kosovo_Presentation_on_Energy_Potentials_-_World_Bank_708477.pdf * https://web.archive.org/web/20130404212338/http://www.eciks.org/english/publications/investing_in_kosovo/content/iguide_3.html {{DEFAULTSORT:Industry Of Kosovo Industry in Kosovo