Agriculture in Azerbaijan (January 2015)

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has signed a decree on declaring 2015 as the Year of Agriculture.

As a result of agrarian reforms in Azerbaijan, the guarantees were made for the dynamic development of agriculture. The agricultural sector greatly changed. The new economic and property relations were formulated. The regulatory framework was improved. The e-agriculture system is used to improve the efficiency and transparency.

Strengthening of the state support for agricultural development, determining of strategic objectives and institutional changes in the spheres corresponding to the new challenges laid the foundation for the transition of this sphere to a qualitatively new level. The modern agrarian parks and large farms are established in the country to ensure food security of the population and to increase the export potential of the agrarian sector. The modern infrastructure was created there as part of the state programs of socio-economic development of regions. The intervillage roads were widened.

Commissioning of the Shamkirchay and Tahtakorpu reservoirs creates conditions for involving new land plots in crop rotation and preservation of soil fertility.

The state has set a number of benefits for farmers. That is, the producers of agricultural products were exempt from taxes other than for land.

Farmers and entrepreneurs have an opportunity to receive loans and seeds on favorable terms.

They also can receive on favorable terms fertilizers, equipment and breeding cattle through Agroleasing OJSC.

At the same time, the state allocates subsidies for fuel used in cultivation of sown areas.

Azerbaijan's president declared 2015 the Year of Agriculture in order to give a new momentum to the development of agriculture and accelerate its modernization, to ensure a systematic and comprehensive approach to solving existing problems in the agrarian sector, for an effective involvement of administrative and financial resources in this area, and wide promotion of the agrarian potential of the country.

Azerbaijan's Agriculture Ministry, together with the Cabinet of Ministers, was instructed to prepare an action plan in a month in connection with declaring 2015 the Year of Agriculture and submit it to the president.

An agricultural production volume at current prices amounted to 222 million AZN in Azerbaijan in January 2015 or by 3.5 percent more compared to January 2014.

According to the report of the Azerbaijani State Statistics Committee as of January 2015, crop production increased by 3.8 percent, livestock production - by 3.5 percent.

Plant cultivation

The agricultural enterprises, private entrepreneurs, households have begun the spring field work in Azerbaijan since January.

The agro-technical measures are carried out at the fields. The necessary agricultural machinery is delivered.

According to the forecasts of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Agriculture, it is planned to collect winter crops at 875,700 hectare area in 2015.

Around 537,200 hectares or 61.3 percent accounted for the wheat crops, 338,400 hectares or 38.6 percent - barley crops.

Cattle breeding

The growth was observed in the livestock production in January 2015 compared to the previous year.

So, the production of meat hit 36,600 metric tons in January 2015 or by 0.8 percent more compared to January 2014, milk - 143,000 metric tons (a 6.8 percent growth).

During the same month, around 135.2 million eggs were produced, which is 9.5 percent more than in January last year.

The timely veterinary measures, as well as the work towards improving the productive quality of the cattle breed had a positive impact on the dynamic development of livestock.

Production of meat, milk and eggs, tons

Source: Azerbaijani State Statistics Committee