Azernews.Az

By Leman Mammadova

Azerbaijan strives to increase agricultural production not only to meet local demands, but also to get broader access to foreign markets.

State Agro Trade Company under the Ministry of Agriculture of Azerbaijan is developing a new brand for the export of Azerbaijani products, Leyla Mammadova, director of the State Agro Trade Company, told local media.

In her words, the brand "From the Village to the City" was created to support small and medium-sized farmers within the country.

“These products are manufactured by small and medium-sized farmers, which is enough for the country, but not enough for export. We are creating a new brand, and our goal is to reach the Russian and Georgian markets. New brand will become international,” said Mammadova.

She noted that the sale of tea and dried fruit is planned to Georgia, and sale of honey, dried fruit and peas – to Russia.

The State Agro Trade Company was established in 2018 to support small and medium farmers. The Company plans to expand support to farmers in Azerbaijan through the creation of "green markets", holding fairs, trainings and other initiatives.

Green market allows consumers to get organic, healthy products at competitive prices.

The first "green market" branded as "From the Village to the City" is involved in promotion and sale of goods of local farmers and food producers since late 2018.

The company plans to expand the green market network. One such market has already been created, and the company plans to open a second one in the near future. Until the end of the year, the company will open three more markets under the brand "From the Village to the City", which will help sell products of small and medium-sized farms.

The main task is to encourage consumers to buy products from domestic manufacturers and support their activities through green markets.

Since November 2018, State Agro Trade Company together with Kapital Bank began to issue farmer cards. This is a kind of farmer salary card. The important point is that when using this card, reporting is created. Thus, a financial summary is generated for the farmer and statistics for the company. These cards are provided not only for sale at the "From the Village to the City", but also for export.

---

Leman Mammadova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @leman_888

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz