BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 5. We are in the process of finalizing the new phase of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) partnership program in Azerbaijan, Muhammad Nasar Hayat, FAO representative in Azerbaijan, told Trend in an exclusive interview.
“FAO and Azerbaijan have established a relationship that goes back in the early 90s, and, since 2015, we have an office in Azerbaijan. The cooperation between us has been going on very well since the establishment and signing of a partnership strategy. We work very closely with the ministry of agriculture, ecology and environment, and other stake holders in Azerbaijan. The first phase of agreement is now over. We are in the process of finalizing the next phase and the prospects for agriculture sector in this country are really bright,” he said.
According to Muhammad Nasar Hayat, there is a lot that needs to be done, and with some improvements, technology, practices in agriculture, a lot can be improved, not only for people in the rural areas, but for the country as a hole.
FAO is also ready to support agriculture development in Azerbaijan’s Karabakh, the country representative said.
“We have a lot of experience from other countries in the world of doing agriculture developments and livelihood restorations in the post conflict zones. These areas have been going through very difficult times, and the restoration of agriculture in these areas is very important. In that context, we are already supporting the initiative of the Government of Azerbaijan on land reforms, land allocation, land use planning. Beyond that, we can support the farmers themselves in restoring agricultural production,” he noted.
As FAO representative pointed out, some of these areas have not been cleared of land mines and explosive, so this is another issue that needs to be resolves.
“And then, we need to figure out what is the best agricultural model for these areas. There is climate, water availability - multiple variables are to be looked at, before we decide which way is the best. We can provide technical expertise, experience in capacity building, any assistance needed to support the government in its envisioned strategy,” he explained.
Further speaking, Muhammad Nasar Hayat noted that food security and environmental protection are some of the key areas of FAO’s work in Azerbaijan, and not only here, but worldwide.
“Globally, we see that there are more people than 800 million people that experience food insecurity. The level of food pricing is increasing. In this context, Azerbaijan has to be very careful and watchful of the situation. Azerbaijan is importing a lot of food, especially wheat, meat. If the prices are increasing, then the availability and consumption of these items may be affected. Azerbaijan is a resource rich country, it has enough to feed its population. But, still, the food balance, what we produce and what we consume, still needs improvement. We need to rely less on imports,” he said.
According to FAO representative, Azerbaijan has really good food products that can be exported to other countries around the world.
“Fruits in Azerbaijan are very high quality, and, at large, are organically produced. These things create a market for specific Azerbaijani products that we need to take out of the country to earn more for the farmers that engage in agriculture. We are supporting the government of Azerbaijan in terms of food safety, standards, improving productivity, packaging, labeling – everything that is necessary to access the international market,” he noted.
Meanwhile, as Muhammad Nasar Hayat rightly noted, for agricultural production, the second most important thing after land is water.
“Agriculture has a very unique position within the water scarcity issues, because, on the one hand, agriculture sector uses the large bulk of water resources, but, on another hand, agriculture is responsible for some water pollution and water wastage. So, in this context, we need to look at what is the best fit for a specific agricultural production system. And here in Azerbaijan, my initial understanding is that we need to improve our water efficiency. And I also see that the Government of Azerbaijan has taken some really efficient steps. There are subsidies available for high efficiency irrigation systems, whether it is using sprinklers, or drip irrigation. There are subsidies available to adopt these modern technologies. We need to expand the coverage of these subsidies.
Another area on which we are working in Azerbaijan is improving the soil health. The soils are degraded in a very serious manner. Restoring the soil life will contribute for it being more productive, which includes production systems, which fertilizers we use, which crops are we growing,” he said.
According to the official, sustainable forest management is another natural resource that needs to be preserved, as well as water conservation, water harvesting, in particular, how water can be harvested, used more effectively. The use of pesticides is another issue to be focused on, especially, in making sure that they are not damaging the environment.
“Definitely, food systems cover a lot, besides production, the
FAO’s approach is to cover entire food systems which include
activities before the production, which is seeds and soil
preparation and conservation, planting, harvesting, post-harvest
grading, saving food wastage, labeling, transportation, marketing,
food preparation – these are all the areas we need to cover to have
a healthy population.
So, the future that I see from the existing agricultural model –
transformation to more sustainable and profitable agriculture
sector that can then make contribution to the national economy, the
country’s GDP, and also make healthy and nutritious food available
for population at all times. That is the goal and the stated
objective of the Azerbaijani government, and we are here to support
the country in approach,” Muhammad Nasar Hayat concluded.
