Agriculture in Azerbaijan (january-june 2014)

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree on additional support in providing agricultural producers with agricultural machinery in June.

According to the decree, 15 million manat will be allocated to Agrolizing from the Presidential Reserve Fund to provide agricultural producers with combine harvesters.

The Ministry of Finance was charged with allocating the funds envisaged by the order.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed an order on additional measures for the development of animal husbandry.

According to the decree, some 13.5 million manat will be allocated to Agrolizing from the Presidential Reserve Fund as part of measures to ensure food security in Azerbaijan, to increase production of animal products, to improve breeding livestock, to accelerate actions on artificial insemination.

Some 1.5 million manat will be allocated to the Ministry of Agriculture to import breeding animals from abroad and sell them with a 50-percent discount through leasing to agricultural producers engaged in animal husbandry, as well as to reconstruct the artificial insemination center in accordance with modern requirements and to implement appropriate measures in this area.

The Ministry of Finance was charged with allocating the funds envisaged by the order.

E-agricultural system, the acquisition of new equipment, pedigree cattle are necessary to make the farmers' life easier, to provide them with an additional source of income and improve production in this sphere.

According to the Azerbaijani State Statistics Committee, agricultural output at current prices amounted to 2.270.8 billion manat in Azerbaijan in January-June, increasing by 5.8 percent compared to the same period of 2013.

According to the report, livestock production increased by three percentage points, crop production - 10.1 percent for the period.

Plant growing

Mass sowing of spring crops completed in Azerbaijan.

By June 24, spring plants were planted in an area of ​​357,800 hectares, grain and leguminous crops in an area of ​​64,900 hectares, potatoes - 61,700 hectares, vegetables - 76,000 hectares, melons - 28,000 hectares, cotton - 22,900 hectares, sunflower fodder - 11,700 hectares, sugar beets - 5,700 hectares.

Sowing of spring plants in Azerbaijan's agriculture, ha

Source: Azerbaijani State Statistics Committee

Harvesting is underway in Azerbaijan. As of July 1, some 1,779,1 tons of grain (including corn) were collected, which is 18.2 percent more than in the same period of last year.

Some 260,700 tons of potatoes, 342,400 tons of vegetables, 90,800 tons of fruits and berries, 44,200 tons of melons have been gathered since the beginning of the season.

According to the Azerbaijani Agriculture Ministry, as of July 7, grain harvesting at 88 percent of lands allotted for grain finished in 2014.

The grain was gathered at 853,000 hectares of total 961,000 hectares planted in autumn and spring. By that time, some 1,926,800 tons of grain, including 1,239,200 tons of wheat were gathered. Crop capacity is 23.7 quintals per hectare.

Animal husbandry

Some 220,700 tons of meat in live weight, 929,200 tons of milk, 768.8 million chicken eggs, 15,000 tons of wool were produced in the country in the first half of this year.

Meat production increased by 1.9 percent, milk - by 3.1 percent, eggs - by 12.2 percent, wool - 2.1 percent in the country in January-June compared to the same period of 2013.

By July 1, the number of cattle in the country increased by one percent - to 1.306 million heads, sheep and goats - by 1.1 percent - up to 8,841,200 heads.