Azerbaijani SMBDA chief reiterates unceasing support to catering sector

By Azernews

By Ayya Lmahamad

Azerbaijan’s Small and Medium Business Development Agency (SMBDA) has always supported restaurants in the country, and work in this direction continues, Board Chairman Orkhan Mammadov said.

He made the remarks while speaking at the National Culinary Congress in Baku on October 24, Azernews reports per Trend.

“National cuisine is one of the main components of material culture. The history of Azerbaijani national cuisine is as ancient as the history of the Azerbaijani people. Azerbaijani dishes are known all over the world for their high taste qualities,” he said.

Orkhan Mammadov also noted that the establishment of close cooperation with civil society institutions is one of the agency’s main activities.

Noting that a number of public organizations are represented in the Public Council under the SMBDA, he stated that they are directly involved in the process of developing new legislative acts in the catering sector, creating new mechanisms to stimulate the development of SMBs and their associations operating in this sector.

“The role of associations in activities to involve entrepreneurs in this process is undeniable. The Azerbaijan Culinary Specialists Association, registered in 2019, is a very active public association and is engaged in activities aimed at developing the culinary sector in the country,” he said.

Moreover, the board chairman touched upon the EU-funded “Improved Promotion and Marketing of Traditional Foods” technical assistance project, which has been implemented in cooperation with the economy ministry and the agency since 2019. He added that the project has been implemented in Ganja-Dashkasan, Gazakh-Tovuz, Guba-Khachmaz, Central Aran, Mil-Mughan, and Shirvan-Salyan economic regions.

“Under the project, legislation affecting the promotion and marketing of traditional agricultural and food products was analyzed, recommendations were prepared, training, seminars, and roundtables were organized for target groups,” he said.

He added that within the project, educational material on healthy eating and nutrition of schoolchildren and the public, and a “traditional Azerbaijani food products, nutrition and healthy eating” curriculum for students were developed, 10 types of traditional food products were identified and measures were taken to promote them.

“In order to increase sales of traditional food products, bring them to foreign markets and increase awareness, it’s necessary to widely promote these products at the national and international levels, pursue a systematic marketing policy, and strengthen marketing activities among manufacturers,” he said.

Additionally, Orkhan Mammadov expressed the hope that the congress will play a special role in developing cooperation between local enterprises, especially SMBs operating in this and the public catering sectors.

The National Culinary Congress was organized by the Culinary Association of Azerbaijan and the National Culinary Center of Azerbaijan and attended by representatives of state institutions, organizations, and companies working in the sphere of public catering and food industry.