Azerbaijan, Baku, July 16 /Trend A.Hasanov/
Azerbaijan has begun the process of seed crop production for planting in 2013, the Ministry of Agriculture said on Monday.
If 46,149 tons of seeds I and II reproductions were produced in 2001, then this figure reached 173,937 tons in 2011 and subsidies to farmers to sell seeds grown over this period rose from 3.5 million to 5.5 million manat, respectively.
Permits have been issued for carrying out the production of 350 types of seed crop as of July 1.
Some 57,396 tons of mineral fertilisers with a 50 per cent discount for the 288,354 hectares of cultivated area have been allocated to more than 34,000 farmers - employers in the first six months of 2012. Some 12.6 million manat was paid to these sellers of fertilisers out of the state budget.
Some 1.92 million tons of production was produced from a cultivated area as of July 9 this year, which is 11.1 per cent, or 192,421 tons more compared to the same period last year. About two million tons of grain, of which 1.24 million accounts for wheat during the reporting period, is 7.6 per cent (or 88.6 thousand tons) more compared to the same period last year.
It was decided to build two grain production farms in the Agjabedi and Beylagan regions (298 and 265 km from Baku, respectively) on 3300 and 1500 hectares respectively in accordance with the decree of the Cabinet of Ministers. The implementation of certain measures started in this regard.
Official exchange rate on July 16 is 0.7855 AZN/USD