BAKU, Azerbaijan, Nov. 12
By Fidan Babayeva – Trend:
Tobacco production is planned to be increased up to 30 percent due to the improvement of agrotechnical measures in 2021, Director of the Production and Operations Department of the Azerbaijan Industrial Corporation Ilham Bayramov told Trend on Nov. 12.
“This year an increase in production was achieved by increasing the acreage, but next year it is planned to achieve results by improving agrotechnical measures,” Bayramov said.
"The main investor in the tobacco-growing industry in the state,” the director said, commenting on the issue of investments in agriculture.
“Azerbaijan Industrial Corporation JSC and Azertutun LLC grow and purchase raw tobacco for processing into finished products annually,” the director said. “Agrocredit non-bank credit organization is constantly financing farmers, as a result of which farmers are fully provided with the necessary technical means. The Azerbaijani Ministry of Agriculture annually allocates subsidies to farmers using an e-platform.”
The director stressed that according to the analysis of the agro-industrial complex, 2,380 tons of raw tobacco worth $7.5 million were imported into Azerbaijan in 2019.
"While many of these products are produced in our country and due to the measures taken on our part, the quality indicators of the products meet the requirements of the relevant standards,” Bayramov said. “Therefore, local producers and technologists must be interested in using local raw materials.”
The president approved the state program "On the development of the production of tobacco and tobacco products in Azerbaijan" on August 10, 2017. It is scheduled for 2017-2021.
One of its main goals is to increase the yield of tobacco up to 20 centners per hectare, expand the cultivated tobacco areas up to 6,000 hectares and increase production up to 12,000 tons of tobacco.
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