BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan. 14
By Nargiz Ismayilova – Trend:
2019 was successful for export, Trend reports referring to executive director of the Azerbaijani Center for Economic Reforms Analysis and Communications Vusal Gasimli.
“In accordance with an analysis of customs data, the products worth $19.6 billion were exported in 2019,” Gasimli said. “As a result, a surplus worth $6 billion was observed in the trade turnover. In particular, as a result of successful reforms, not only 2019, but also the previous years were successful for export of non-oil products.”
“So, export of non-oil products grew by 24 percent in 2017, by 10 percent in 2018 and by 14 percent in 2019,” the executive director said. “In 2019, our export of non-oil products approached $2 billion. This also shows that strategic roadmaps are very successful in achieving the goal of bringing export of non-oil products up to $450 per person in 2025.”
“That is, the comprehensive measures which are taken to increase export of non-oil products, in particular, the creation of trade missions, the establishment of trading and wine houses, export missions through the support of One Window Export Support Center of Azexport.az website play a great role here,” the executive director said.
“The export orders worth $1.6 billion from 141 countries were implemented through Azexport.az website over the past three years,” Gasimli added. “Currently, our non-oil products are exported mainly to Russia, Turkey, Switzerland, Georgia and Ukraine, but the number of countries to which the products are exported is being increased.”
“There have been recently positive changes in the commodity structure of export,” the executive director said. “The list of non-oil products exported in 2019 included tomatoes, gold, nuts, cotton, persimmons, electricity, methanol (methyl alcohol), primary polyethylene and polypropylene.”
“The opening of SOCAR Polymer and SOCAR Carbamide plants upon the president’s initiative, the construction of new power plants, the development of cotton growing and tobacco testify to an increase in real export volume,” Gasimli added.
“As a result of support for the development of cotton production in 2019, cotton fiber exports increased by 54 percent and reached $124 million,” the executive director said. “On the whole, the agricultural sector made a great contribution to the development of export of non-oil products.”