BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 9. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is supporting Azerbaijan in exporting its food products around the world, Muhammad Nasar Hayat, FAO representative in Azerbaijan, told Trend.
"Azerbaijan is importing a lot of food, especially wheat and meat. If prices increase, then the availability and consumption of these items may be affected. Azerbaijan is a country rich with resources, it has enough to feed its population. But, still, the food balance, what we produce and what we consume, 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, for instance, 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," Nasar Hayat said.
He added that FAO is supporting the government of Azerbaijan in terms of food safety, standards, improving productivity, packaging, labeling – everything that is necessary to access the international market.
Azerbaijan is a member of FAO since October 20, 1995. The co-ordination office will carry out the Office of the Partnership and Co-operation in Azerbaijan from autumn 2015.