Azerbaijan, France can cooperate in winemaking
By Rashid Shirinov
Azerbaijan and France, the two trade partners, have discussed creation of joint ventures in the spheres of corn production, viticulture and winemaking.
The discussions took place during the meeting between Deputy Minister of Agriculture Ilham Guliyev and a French delegation headed by Counsellor for Agricultural Affairs Nicolas Perrin, Azerbaijan’s Agriculture Ministry reported.
Guliyev informed the French side about the country’s economic indicators, and mentioned that Azerbaijan enjoys a favorable environment for organic agricultural production.
In turn, the French side made a number of proposals on the use of hybrid seeds for growing corn in Azerbaijan.
Baku and Paris are actively developing their relations in many spheres including politics, economy, culture, science and more.
Having strong and dynamic experience in transport and agriculture sectors, French companies are involved in the non-oil sectors' projects, including the first Azerbaijani telecommunications satellite Azerspace, and a plant for solid waste recycling.
The State Customs Committee reported that the trade turnover between Azerbaijan and France in January-August 2016 amounted to 438.86 million manats ($272 million). Meanwhile, the export of Azerbaijani products to France made up 344.8 million manats ($214 million).
Azerbaijan, which is well known for its rich natural resources, has both the necessary economic and natural conditions for expanding its viticulture, wine industry, corn production and many others.
Wine is produced in several regions of Azerbaijan, including at the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains and in the Kur-Araz lowlands. Additionally, Ganja, Nagorno-Karabakh, Shirvan, and Nakhchivan have emerged as centers of wine production in Azerbaijan in the 21st century.
Among the grape varieties used to produce Azerbaijani wine are Pinot Noir, Rkatsiteli, Pinot Blanc, Aligote, Matrassa, Podarok Magaracha, Pervenets Magaracha, Ranni Magaracha, Doina, Viorica, and Kishmish Moldavski.
Local grape varieties in Azerbaijan include White Shani, Derbendi, Nail, Bayanshire, Gamashara, Ganja Pink, Bendi, Madrasa, Black Shani, Zeynabi, Misgali, Khindogni, Agdam Kechiemdzheyi, Tebrizi, and Marandi.
Wine exports from Azerbaijan increased more than 8 times for the last decade. The production of grapes also increased significantly.
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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov
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