Azernews.Az

By Rashid Shirinov

Thanks to the successful agrarian policy pursued in Azerbaijan, the issue of food provision to the population has been resolved, and the goal of the ongoing work is to further improve food provision, Deputy Prime Minister Ali Ahmadov said on September 24.

He made the remarks at a national seminar on the role of sustainable food industry and agriculture in achieving sustainable development goals in Azerbaijan.

Ahmadov noted that the Azerbaijani government attaches great importance to food security.

“People in some countries suffer from food shortage, and this is an important problem. Climate change, economic backwardness, wars and conflicts – all this leads to food shortage,” the deputy prime minister said.

He added that Azerbaijan is satisfied with the cooperation with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.

“I believe that this cooperation will contribute to improving of agriculture and ensuring food security,” Ahmadov noted.

Agriculture Minister Inam Karimov, in turn, said that Azerbaijan has prepared a strategy for the development of the agricultural sector, and in this regard, the Agriculture Ministry faces important tasks.

He noted that a road map for the production and processing of agricultural products has been prepared, and the necessary work is being done to apply modern technologies in the agricultural sector.

The minister added that the development of agriculture, providing of the population with food is given special importance.

“Azerbaijan fruitfully cooperates with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization by implementing a number of projects,” Karimov said.

Azerbaijan, which is eager to diversify its economy on the basis of further development of the non-oil sector, defines agriculture as one the main directions. The fertile lands, abundance of water and climatic diversity create favorable foundation for ever-strengthening agriculture sector.

The improvement of this sphere plays an important role in the development of rural regions, where 47 percent of Azerbaijan’s population lives.

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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

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