Baku, Azerbaijan, May 24
By Ilkin Shafiyev - Trend:
Azerbaijan needs to change the mechanism of crediting tobacco manufacturers, President of the Association of Tobacco Producers and Exporters Telman Hasratov told Trend.
He noted that the mechanism used today creates inconvenience for farmers.
"The loan depends on the size of the area where tobacco is grown. For every 10 hectares of area, 15,000 manats are allocated. And if a farmer growing tobacco on an area of 150 hectares wants to receive, say, 150,000 manats, then this loan is paid in parts for 10 months – 15,000 manats per month. Tobacco is grown and harvested at certain times of the year. That is, an entrepreneur cannot get the money when he needs it. The farmer cannot use a dedicated credit," said Hasratov.
He noted that solving a number of other issues is also on the agenda of the association.
"Today, a shortage of land for tobacco cultivation is observed. There is a lack of modern technology and tobacco varieties. The low purchase price of raw tobacco and the high interest rates on loans also remain as problems," said Hasratov.
(1.7 AZN = 1 USD on May 24)
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