Agricultural development, brilliant method to drive non-oil sector
By Gulgiz Dadashova
Azerbaijan, which has recorded a 10- 15 percent increase in its non-oil economic sector over the last two to three years, shows a high speed growth in the agriculture which is one of the main pillars of its non-oil sector.
The agriculture sector of Azerbaijan showed a 48.9 percent growth rate, according to the World Bank (WB), exceeding the global average by 17.1 percent.
Heydar Asadov, Azerbaijani Agriculture Minister made the remark
while addressing a conference on the “State Program on
Socio-economic Development of the Regions of the Republic of
Azerbaijan in 2014-2018”, held under the chairmanship of President
Ilham Aliyev.
“During this period, the growth of food production [in the world]
stood at 18 percent while in our country the figure was 39
percent,” he said.
Asadov further noted that the volume of agricultural production in
Azerbaijan in 2014 amounted to 5.2 billion manats including 2.8
billion mantas for livestock production.
The minister added that Azerbaijan exported vegetables and fruits
for a total of $291 million in 2014, which is 16.1 percent higher
than in 2013.
The import of fruits and vegetables in this period totaled $25.2
million, which is less than 2013 by 13.5 percent.
Speaking about the development of animal husbandry in
Azerbaijan, Asadov noted that in recent years, against the backdrop
of an increase in the number of cattle by 21 percent, the growth in
meat production was 46.4 percent and the milk production growth
stood at 53 percent.
Thanks to lower prices of imported goods in 2014, farmers were able
to purchase agricultural machinery by 50 percent cheaper
(fertilizers - 30 percent cheaper) than in 2013, he said.
The minister also spoke about the problems to be resolved,
highlighting the need for measures to encourage re-seeding to
further improve the situation in provision of fodder, creation of a
seed fund, and revision of the size of the aid related to provision
of agricultural producers with fuel and engine oils.
He pointed out the need for making a corresponding decision with
regard to the agricultural machinery, which became unusable (if
their repair is uneconomical), and taking measures against the land
owners who don’t use their lands.
In general, Azerbaijan has experienced a strong growth of all indicators of agricultural development in the past ten years. The total volume of production of agricultural goods increased by 3.4 times, and the volume of investment made in Azerbaijan's agriculture increased by 15 times, and the average monthly wage of workers of this sector increased by 9 times in the mentioned period.
In the meantime, 2015 was declared as the Year of Agriculture in the country, which is expected to give a new stimulus to the development and modernization of agriculture, ensuring a complex and systematic approach to settlement of problems in the agrarian field, involving the government`s administrative and financial resources in this sector, and promoting the country`s agrarian potential.
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