BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 18
By Fidan Babayeva - Trend:
The main goal of the Azerbaijan Association of Pomegranate Manufacturers and Exporters this year will be to increase exports to France and Poland, to enter the markets of other European countries with the support of the Azerbaijan Export and Investment Promotion Foundation (AZPROMO), the association’s Chairman Farhad Garashov told Trend Feb. 18.
This year it is planned to increase revenues from pomegranate exports by about $7 million, which will be about $24 million, Garashov added.
“France last year showed interest in increasing the supply of Azerbaijani pomegranate and we have already taken appropriate measures to implement the project of increasing exports to this country,” said the chairman.
Garashov emphasized that in 2019, exports of pomegranate concentrate and juice also increased.
“Last year, a great volume of pomegranate concentrate and juice was exported to Russia and Ukraine,” the chairman noted.
Touching upon the topic of pomegranate productivity in Azerbaijan, Garashov said that the productivity last year amounted to 77.2 tons per hectare. Some 157,500 tons of pomegranate were sold in the domestic market, which is 8.06 percent more than last year, the chairman added.
“The geography of exports of Azerbaijani products is also expanding,” said Garashov. “Azerbaijan’s trading houses are opening in foreign countries, and this contributes to the sustainable development of entrepreneurship. Negotiations are underway regarding exports to Qatar and the UAE.”
The Azerbaijan Association of Pomegranate Manufacturers and Exporters began operations in November 2016. Last year, the activities of the Association were extremely fruitful, thus the number of members increased by about 10 times.
By the end of 2019, the number of members of the Association was 345, compared to 34 in 2018. The Association also works closely with international organizations in the development of pomegranate growing.