Agricultural sector enters new stage of development

By Azernews

By Mirsaid Ibrahimzade

On the way of reaching utter transparency and efficiency in the agricultural sector, the process of introducing innovative technologies is being intensified since currently it is a key factor of intensive development.

Vugar Huseynov, the head of the Public Relations Department at the Ministry of Agriculture, has told Trend that one of the main goals of the Azerbaijani government is the development of the country's agriculture, and this area has received much attention at the state level in recent years.

He noted that agriculture as a sector and entrepreneurs in this area receive state support and concessional loans are issued.

“Farmers receive large subsidies, they are provided with equipment and other means. Agro-parks created in the country are aimed at achieving revolutionary results in the development of the export potential. Therefore, there has been a large increase in the production of agricultural products over the past few months,” Huseynov said.

He also added that the products manufactured ensure the food security of the country and farmers who enter foreign markets receive big income.

Emphasizing that Azerbaijan is looking for new export markets, Huseynov stated that the steps taken by the state in this direction are already bearing fruit and beekeepers are already getting enough support from the state.

Presently, there are 400,000 bee colonies and grants have been given for the maintenance of 270,000 of them. It is expected that the number of bee colonies will reach 500,000-600,000.

The individuals and legal entities who submitted documents at the end of last year but did not receive subsidies yet will receive them in the amount of 910,460 manats ($535,565) for 91,046 bee colonies this year.

This decision of the Agriculture Ministry will affect 4,507 beekeepers and beekeeping farms in 842 administrative territories.

“As a result of the work being done, honey production went up and the domestic market’s demand for honey was fully met last year. Now, beekeepers have begun to actively work on the supply of Azerbaijani honey to foreign markets, which will bring even more currency to the country,” Huseynov pointed out.

In accordance with the decree of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev dated March 5, 2018, in order to stimulate the development of beekeeping in the country, support small businesses and provide employment in rural areas to individuals and legal entities involved in beekeeping, a subsidy worth 10 manats per year for each bee family (beehive) will be paid during five years, including this year as well.

Huseynov stressed that serious reforms are being carried out in the agrarian sector of Azerbaijan.

He noted that the agrarian sector has entered a new stage of development, and one of the main goals of these reforms is to support various forms of agricultural production.

He also underlined that possibilities for more efficient use of subsidies by farmers are expanding.

In general, the agriculture sector is considered one of the important directions in the country’s development, because this sector plays a special role in the diversification of the economy, providing the population with food, the development of regions, reducing poverty, addressing social problems and other issues.

Recent introduction of drones serves as an example of advanced technologies used within agricultural sector of the country. Drones are needed to conduct surveys in hard-to-reach areas of agricultural land. They can determine how well the irrigation was conducted as well as the condition of the soil and identify weed plants.