Azernews.Az

By Amina Nazarli

As the state efforts are proving, expanding cotton growing doesn’t just benefit the national economy, but also improves the welfare of the farmers and their families.

Azerbaijan with the favorable climate and soil is an ideal place for development of the cotton industry, once a very productive in the country.

The cotton industry has remained very insignificant until 2016, when the state announced the sector among the priorities to boost the non-oil economy.

Because cotton is such a valuable money crop, the state has set a course on restoring the industry and now is providing huge support to this sphere.

The State Program for 2017-2022 is aimed at strengthening measures directed at developing this sphere. The purpose of the State Program is to develop cotton growing, increase export potential in this sphere, ensure employment of the rural population and increase the production of cotton.

Currently, cotton is grown in more than 20 regions of the country with a 10-time increase in just two years. In 2015, cotton was sown only on 17,000 hectares, while this year the area has reached 136,000 hectares.

The government actions resulted in increase of the interest of local farmers in the cotton growing. Although, cotton production is traditionally wide-spread in the country's Saatli, Sabirabad, Beylagan, Barda and Zardab regions, Yevlakh become one of the leading regions that set a goal to revive the sector.

In Yevlakh, the sown area of cotton increased up to 2,168 hectares in 2017 from previous 1,435 hectares in 2016.

The director of Yevlakh branch of the ‘MKT Istehsalat Commerce’ company, Shaban Hasanov, said that the number of farmers engaged in the cotton growing and the sown areas are growing year by year.

“If in 2016 we signed an agreement with 85 farmers, then this year 215 farmers started to cooperate with us,” he said, mentioning that the size of the cotton sown area under the signed contracts hit 1,718 hectares this year.

Yevlakh resident Arzu Safarov, in turn, voiced optimism and enthusiasm over the possibility of higher crop yields.

“I sow seeds on an area of 125 hectares under the contract with the ‘MKT Istehsalat Commerce’ company. We were provided with productive seeds, as well as fertilizer, medicine and relevant technology,” he said.

Cotton seeds are sowed in fields where weed and unwanted plants are removed. Special pesticides and fertilizers are used to ensure the best quality product. The harvesting is done through machine when the cotton takes the shape of boll. Later, it is processed seeding, picking, ginning and baling. Other types of chemical and machinery are used to produce better quality of cottons.

The goal of the state is to bring the cotton production up to 500,000 tons by 2022 from the current 260,000 tons.

The country seeks to export not only raw cotton and cotton fiber, but also finished products following the launch of a major light industry enterprise being created in Mingachevir.

--

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

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz