Azerbaijan creates Association of Vegetable & Fruit Producers and Exporters
Published on 24/08/2016
Azerbaijan’s Economy Minister Sahib Mamedov revealed in August 2016 that his nation has established the Association of Vegetable & Fruit Producers and Exporters.
This new body will be responsible for boosting Azerbaijan’s export potential in the fruit and vegetable sector as well as increasing overall production levels. Azerbaijan’s National Congress of Entrepreneurs (ASK) will be aiding the newly formed body by helping to coordinate the actions of producers and exporters across the country.
The nation’s Economy Ministry provided the catalyst for the association’s creation. At a meeting held on August 16 at the Guba-Khachmaz Regional Development Centre, attended by representatives of 100 leading companies engaged in field of fruit and vegetable production, the decision was made to go ahead with the association’s establishment.
Bashir Guilyev, head of the Zire greenhouse complex, has been selected as the association’s first Chairman. Azerbaijan is aiming to reduce its dependency on oil revenues and diversify its economy. The Central Asian state is currently working on numerous programmes and economic reforms in order to boost competiveness and harbour an attractive environment for foreign investment.
Agriculture is one of Azerbaijan’s most important sectors, economically speaking. Not only do Azerbaijani producers cater for domestic demand, but also export thousands of tons of produce to neighbouring countries where vegetables and fruit are in high demand. Azerbaijan is quickly becoming one of the area’s
primary food producers.
Favourable geographic conditions make Azerbaijan perfectly suited to large scale agricultural production. Fertile farmland, an abundance of fresh, clean water, and a diverse climate allows Azerbaijan to grow a wide number of in-demand fruits and vegetables including apples, pears, quinces, pomegranates, oranges, tomatoes, cucumbers and aubergines.
As Azerbaijan continues to develop its agricultural sector and food industry as a whole, new exciting opportunities are presenting themselves for international investors. Not least of all in food processing where new technologies and expertise is needed to take Azerbaijan to new heights of food production.
Source: azernews.az