BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 19
By Samir Ali - Trend:
Grain shortage is not expected in Azerbaijan, Director of the Agricultural Research Center under the country's Agriculture Ministry Firdovsi Fikratzade told Trend.
Firdovsi Fikratzade noted that the country's grain stocks were fully formed in 2019.
"Azerbaijan's grain imports decreased by 50 percent. This indicator is expected to decline further in 2020," the director added.
Firdovsi Fikratzade named the reasons for the increase in grain imports into the country in the period of 2018-2019.
"Grain prices rose in the world market in 2017-2018. Therefore, local entrepreneurs used reserve grain more. In this regard, the grain stock of Azerbaijan decreased from 1.6 million tons to 700,000 tons. The grain prices fell in the world market in 2018-2019, and entrepreneurs began to replenish grain stock," the director said.
Fikratzade added that a decrease in grain production on a global scale is expected due to the risk of drought in 2019-2020.
"But this will not lead to its deficit in Azerbaijan, because last year the country's reserves were already stacked. So there is a sufficient supply of grain in Azerbaijan," the director concluded.