Republican Meeting was held on the theme of “Tobacco-growing 2020: Upcoming Challenges” in Oguz

On October 25, in Oguz, Republican Meeting was held on the theme of “Tobacco-growing 2020: Upcoming Challenges” under the chairmanship of Inam Karimov, Minister of Agriculture. At republican meeting in the Oguz cultural center were participated representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture, executive bodies of various regions, directors of departments of the Ministry and state centers of agricultural development, representatives of research institutes, members of the Association of Tobacco Producers and Exporters of the Republic of Azerbaijan, more than 200 farmers participated in tobacco production from 13 regions of our country.

Opening the event, the head of the executive power of the Oguz region, Eyvaz Gurbanov, said that the policy of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Ilham Aliyev, ensures sustainable development in all sectors of the economy, including the non-oil sector. This tradition was forgotten after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Under the leadership of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Ilham Aliyev, support is being given to tobacco development, as in all areas. Thanks to this, tobacco production is developing. Compared to last year, this year's performance also shows the real situation. I believe that this development will continue in the coming years. ”

Speaking at the meeting, Minister of Agriculture, Inam Karimov said that the development of the agricultural sector was declared by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Mr. Ilham Aliyev as one of the priorities. The Minister said that the pace of development of the agricultural sector continues as a result of implementation measures: “The ongoing agricultural reforms provide for the further development of agriculture. The state takes systematic measures to develop the agricultural sector, including tobacco and subsidies for the development of this sector. Imported plant seeds, agricultural equipment, mineral fertilizers and pesticides are exempt from VAT, and producers are exempt from all other tax obligations, except for land tax. Land tax is symbolic. Agricultural machinery, processing equipment and irrigation systems are sold at a 40% discount. As a result of these multilateral government support measures, the sustainable development of the agricultural sector was ensured. Thanks to implementation measures during the first 9 months of this year, total agricultural production grew by 7%.

Noting that tobacco has a rich history and great potential in Azerbaijan, the Minister of Agriculture said that the president entrusted important tasks to develop this area: “As you know, in the 1980s, 57,000 tons of tobacco were produced in Azerbaijan. We set a very important task for the development of the agricultural sector, including the use of modern innovations and the restoration of existing traditions. The “State Program for the Development of the Tobacco Industry in the Republic of Azerbaijan for 2017–2021” is aimed at reaching 6,000 hectares of arable land and 12,000 tons of tobacco products from 20 centners per hectare by 2021. We have all the conditions and opportunities to achieve this goal. One of the main incentives for this is government subsidies. The new subsidy rules will focus more on smoking. ”

In his speech, the Minister touched upon a set of implementation measures to develop tobacco in Azerbaijan. He informed the farmers about the preparations for tobacco production and the upcoming tasks, the development of tobacco smoking, the goals and prospects, as well as the work done in the field of agriculture, as well as the upcoming tasks.

Then, Kamran Nabizade, director general of the Azerbaijan Industrial Corporation, Rafail Guliyev, head of the plant organization and monitoring department of the Ministry of Agriculture, spoke about the current situation with tobacco production in the country. Tobacco farmer Akif Kalashov from the Zagatala region shared his views on tobacco development.

Six farmers were presented with the Ministry of Agriculture's gratitude for the high yield of tobacco production in Azerbaijan in 2019. The gratitude was presented to the farmers by Inam Karimov, Minister of Agriculture, Eyvaz Gurbanov, head of the Executive Authority of Oguz region and  Kamran Nabizadeh, director General of the Azerbaijan Industrial Corporation.

During the meeting, the sides exchanged views on the development of tobacco smoking and the forthcoming tasks. The proposals of the farmers were registered.

At the end of the discussions it was stated that meetings in this format would continue and farmers would be informed about implementation work to address the issues raised.