BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb.19
By Fidan Babayeva - Trend:
Azerbaijan satisfies the demand for food wheat in the country through imports from Russia and Kazakhstan, Vusala Ahmadova, an expert on economic and legal issues, told Trend.
According to Ahmadova, the demand for food wheat in Azerbaijan is 1.7 million tons.
“We can accelerate grain production in our fertile territories that have been liberated from (Armenian) occupation (in the autumn last year),” she said. “The 2020 Global Network against Food Crises report indicated that 135 million people in 55 countries are facing a food security crisis, aggravated by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic isn’t the first or the last. We need to take a fresh look at possible future grain crises. First of all, we must strive to ensure the safety of grain and, therefore, pay more attention to local production.”
As the expert reminded, from the first days of the pandemic, demand for shelf-stable products such as flour and pasta has increased.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has for the first time threatened food security worldwide. Many countries are now imposing restrictions on food exports. Vietnam, the world's largest exporter of rice, has suspended all rice exports since March last year, and Russia, the world's largest exporter of wheat, suspended all grain exports until July last year,” she noted. Other major grain exporters, Romania, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan, have also restricted the export, Ahmadova said.
"The current protectionist approach is driving up world grain prices. As I have always said, food safety means first and foremost grain safety. Major grain exporters prefer to conserve their products such as wheat, rice, and corn, which could lead to the global wheat crisis," she added.
According to her, Azerbaijan's annual demand for grain is about 3.5-4 million tons.
"The largest flour producers and mills in Azerbaijan prefer imported grain. The State Grain Fund also prefers imported grain. So, according to Appendix 1 to the rules for the storage and use of the state grain stock’ wheat meeting the accepted indicators of grain quality is supplied to the State Grain Fund, which testifies to the low quality of domestic products. In particular, the quality of wheat grown on saline soils does not meet standards," the expert said.
“I think that the export duties and quotas introduced by Russia will affect the prices for flour products, including bread,” summed up Ahmadova.