BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan. 23
By Matanat Nasibova - Trend:
Seeds of “Udacha” (Luck) potato variety popular in Russia were imported to Azerbaijan last year through Azerbaijan’s State Seed Fund, the fund’s Chairman Emin Aliyev told Trend.
“Last year, the volume of imports of seeds of this variety of agricultural products amounted to about 39 tons,” said Aliyev. “For a short time, the seeds were purchased by local farmers. The yield of this variety was 32 tons per hectare, which is considered a fairly good result. Accordingly, this variety justified preliminary forecasts of specialists for productivity and economic feasibility.”
The chairman noted that all types of imported seed varieties undergo research in special laboratories for identification of certain viruses, as well as for quality, yield, and then are added to the State Register.
“For example, the "Udacha" potato seeds were added to the State Register in 2017 and imported to Azerbaijan only at the end of December 2018,” Aliyev added. “The latest variety of potato seeds is grown in Azerbaijan’s southern districts, mainly in the Jalilabad district.”
Azerbaijan imports over 98 percent of potato seeds, the chairman said.
Despite that potatoes are one of the strategic types of food products, only 1.7 percent of potato seeds are produced in Azerbaijan, Aliyev noted.