Azernews.Az

By Amina Nazarli

The cotton growing, the full restoration of which is planned in the near future, has brought the country $29 million profit in 2015.

Eldar Ibrahimov, Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Agrarian Policy made the statement on October 29, commenting on importance of the agriculture in the new policy of the country.

“In 2015, the export of agricultural products amounted to approximately 47 percent (about $ 700 million) of all non-oil exports. Only due to cotton, we earned $29 million. This is very important, because if we give up the oil economy, then one of the most important spheres of the non-oil sector should be the agriculture," he said.

Ibrahimov emphasized that agriculture should be actively developed, adding that the president also pays special attention to this issue.

“The government allocated loans and grants for the development of the agricultural sector, and keep the issue in focus," he said.

The parliamentarian further added that Azerbaijan will be able to meet the needs of its entire population in the agricultural products in the future.

"Currently, about 200,000 hectares of land are not used in the country and our goal is to use them," Ibrahimov said.

In the 1970-1980s, cotton production was of crucial importance for the national economy, accounting for approximately 25 percent of agricultural revenue. Then, Azerbaijan harvested a million tons of cotton per year.

Now, the country is still trying to compete for its place in the sun.

2016 is expected to be a period of development of cotton growing in the country, as the government is keen to support cotton production to give a new life to this industry.

Cotton is regarded as a strategic product and it is not by chance that it is called “white gold”. The country has big plans for next year and the preparations for 2017 have already begun.

Meanwhile, the recent presidential order envisages the state support of cotton production, awarding producers of cotton with grants in the amount of 0.1 manat ($0.06) for each kg of seed-cotton sold to processing enterprises.

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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli

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