Azerbaijan, Baku/ Trend , corr S. Babayeva/ Ismat Abasov, Azerbaijan's Agriculture Minister, has said during today's press-conference that Azerbaijan has created about 8.000 new vineyards within the State Programme for Social and Economic Development of Regions of the Country. Special grape species have been delivered to the country from European countries.
The Agriculture Minister considers that the existing amount of grapes collected in the country is low, but has great potential to be developed and improved. "This area is one of the most profitable fields of the whole agricultural sector," said Mr. Abasov.
1200-1500 hectares of new vineyards have been planted in the country this year. Compared with the Soviet Period, the vineyard species that have been planted are yielding more grapes and quite meet the standards of the vineyard business.
"The vineyard field is dynamically developing in Azerbaijan, however there are some negative aspects - poor quality, and fake and pirated production. A special working group within the Ministry is currently taking action to prevent the afore-mentioned facts," said the Minister. According to him, this special group constantly orders raids and spot checks, of which the results of this cannot yet be viewed as encouraging. "However, we hope that our business will be a success in the future," said Mr. Abasov.