Azernews.Az

By Nigar Orujova

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev reviewed an Astarachay tea processing factory during his visit to the south of the country on April 11.

Astarachay farm, which was created in 2010, occupies a total area of 640 hectares. Tea plantations cover an area of nearly 400 hectares. The factory uses “Kolkhida” tea seeds, which are delivered from the Georgian city of Batumi. The seeds are adapted to local conditions.

The tea factory was built based on a layout created by a South Korean company. The facility, which occupies a total area of 4.5 hectares, has state-of-the-art weighing and folding equipment.

The factory will produce 100gr, 200gr and 400gr tea boxes. It has a manufacturing capacity of eight tea boxes per minute. There is also a tea museum, a tasting room and a teahouse for tourists.

The head of state also reviewed Astara seaside park-boulevard complex, located in the city center. The culture and recreation complex has been completely overhauled.

The park-boulevard complex covers an area of one kilometer along the Caspian Sea shore in Astara. Construction of the complex was launched in March of 2014. The park-boulevard occupies an area of six hectares, while the beach covers an area of two hectares.

The park-boulevard features a fountain complex, artificial waterfalls, a summer and winter children’s entertainment center, an open-air fitness ground, and a teahouse. It also provides amusements for children.

The president then opened Degadi-Palikash highway in Astara.

The construction of the road took 2 million manats from the President`s Contingency Fund, and 4.7 million manats from the state budget.

Construction work on the highway started in 2013. The 21km long road links 21 residential areas with a total population of 12,000 people.

Visit to Lankaran

Moreover, President Aliyev reviewed reconstruction and repair work carried out in the Lankaran Museum of History and Local Lore.

It was noted that this unique building known as the house of Khan was built in 1912-1913 in honor of the spouse of Lankaran Khan Mirahmad, Tugra khanim.

The building was designed by French architects, who also supervised the construction work. The Eastern and Western architectural styles were used in the construction of the building.

The three-storey building houses 12 rooms and occupies a total area of 812 square meters. The house of Khan has functioned as the museum of history and local lore since 1978.

The overhaul of the building started in September 2013. The reconstruction work was carried out by the State Service of Cultural Heritage Conservation, Development and Rehabilitation under the Culture and Tourism Ministry and was completed this April.

The head of state also reviewed the Culture Center in Lankaran after a major overhaul. Established in 1982, the center has played an important role in the public, political and cultural life of the city.

The center was overhauled to modern standards. Reconstruction work here started last April and ended this April.

The three-storey building has a 550-seat auditorium. There are directors and make-up rooms, decoration and sewing workshops in the complex.

The Culture House offers a rich book collection. It has a reading room and a 50-seat conference hall. The Culture House will offer dance, English language, computer and other courses.

An ethnographic exhibition was arranged here, highlighting the ancient history of Lankaran.

After reviewing the Culture House, President Ilham Aliyev met with local residents.

The president then opened a newly-constructed kindergarten in the city.

Construction of the kindergarten started in December 2013. The three-storey complex, which occupies a total area of 0.7 hectares, consists of three buildings. Some 200 children aged from 3 to 6 will be taught in 11 groups here.

There are wide conditions for children’s recreation and entertainment. Special attention is paid to ensuring the intellectual, physical and mental development of children, discovering their talents and abilities, protecting their health and building their communication skills.

Landscaping work was carried out around the kindergarten, green areas laid out, a playground built, a water reservoir and a transformer substation installed here.

As part of the visit, President Aliyev also reviewed the newly-created “Gilan agro-citrus” farm.

The new citrus farm occupies an area of 45 hectares. Some 20,000 “Shiranuhi” (Hallabong) and “Kanpei” (Red Hyaang) citrus trees delivered from the Republic of Korea were planted by “Gilan Agro” company in the 15-hectare area.

The new facility created 140 new jobs. There will be an exhibition of fruits and products held there. It was noted that the total cost of the citrus farm was 10 million manats. The facility will be expanded to 500 hectares in the future.

Finalizing the visit, the head of state reviewed the newly-reconstructed Liman-Narimanabad-Baligchilar highway.

The road was build on 2 million manats allocated from the President`s Contingency Fund, and 3.6 million manats from the state budget. Construction work started in April 2013 and was completed this April this year.

The road, which is 18.8km in length and 6m in width, links three residential areas with the total population of 10,000 people.

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Nigar Orujova is AzerNews’s staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @o_nigar

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