GMO products enter Azerbaijani market mainly via Turkey and Iran
By Trend
The fight against the use of products containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in Azerbaijan must be intensified and carried out in accordance with the current legislation, Eyyub Huseynov, Chairman of the Independent Consumers Union (ICU) of Azerbaijan told Trend.
According to Huseynov, despite the adoption of legal regulatory documents prohibiting the use of GMOs in the country, such products are, unfortunately, still present on the market.
"[This happens] largely due to the numerous experts lobbying for GMO products. These products mainly come from Turkey, Iran and other countries. I believe that the Food Safety Agency should take all the necessary steps in order to resolve this issue. GMO products are considered environmentally unfriendly in the “Law on Organic Agriculture” passed by Azerbaijan. They should therefore not be present in the local market," Huseynov said.
“It is only necessary to ensure that the entire cycle of growing products is carefully monitored. If the system is to work accordingly, this will then provide citizens with safe food products. That, in its turn, will simplify the output of local products to foreign markets. For now, however, it is too early to talk about any serious progress in this direction. Not even 10 percent of what was planned in this direction has been realized," Huseynov said.
According to the chairman of the Union, many farmers and entrepreneurs engaged in agriculture continue to poison the soil.