Baku, Azerbaijan, June 7
By Anvar Mammadov – Trend:
Persimmon production in Azerbaijan could grow by 50 percent by 2021, Chairman of the Azerbaijan Association of Persimmon Producers and Exporters Gadir Yusifov told Trend.
Yusifov noted that this can be achieved through improving the quality of agro-technical activities in the gardens.
Presently, there are a lot of persimmon gardens in Azerbaijan, he said, adding that it's necessary to increase the yield not through expanding the planting area, but through better tree care.
"It is necessary to improve the technical base, properly carry out agro-technical processes - fertilization, pruning and watering of trees. These steps will allow us to get better production. In addition, a large number of new gardens have been created on the territory of Azerbaijan in recent years. When these trees reach the fruit-bearing age, this factor will also affect the growth of productivity," he said, further noting that the persimmon production in the country is expected to hit 300,000 tons per year by 2021.
Yusifov noted that this year the yield of persimmons is expected at last year's level.
"The flowering period has already ended. That is why we can predict that this year's production will be at the level of the previous year, that is, within 200,000 tons. Weather conditions also contribute to this. So if we do not have problems with irrigation the harvest will be rich, "Yusifov said.
He went on to say that persimmon production in the country fully meets the domestic need, so 90 percent of persimmons is exported.
"In 2017, we exported 180,000 tons of persimmons worth $91.7 million. Usually the majority of our products are exported, because the domestic need for persimmon is not so high in Azerbaijan," Yusifov said.
The main export markets for Azerbaijani persimmons are Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. Currently, work is under way to expand the geography of exports, particularly, to export persimmons to the Arab countries.
According to the Center for Analysis of Economic Reforms and Communications, Azerbaijan exported persimmons worth $19.2 million in the first four months of 2018.
The Azerbaijan Association of Persimmon Producers and Exporters was established in August 2017 on the initiative of entrepreneurs and with the support of the country’s Ministry of Economy. The main objectives of the association are to increase the production of competitive and export-oriented products, as well as expand the export of persimmons.
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