An event dedicated to the conclusion of the Agricultural Business Festivals was held

An event dedicated to the conclusion of the Agrarian Business Festivals organized in the regions by the Agrarian Innovation Center of the Ministry of Agriculture was held in Baku.

The event was attended by leaders of the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Science and Education, the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population, the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Azerbaijan Food Security Agency, the Azerbaijan State Water Resources Agency, the Agency for the Development of Small and Medium-sized Businesses of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the State Agency for Public Service and Social Innovations under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Azerbaijan Business Development Fund, the National Confederation of Entrepreneurs (Employers) Organizations of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the State Employment Agency, the State Agency for Vocational Education and other relevant institutions, MPs, entrepreneurs and farmers.

Speaking at the event, Minister of Agriculture Majnun Mammadov said that agriculture has been identified as one of the priority and strategic areas in the socio-economic development strategy implemented under the leadership of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Ilham Aliyev: "In recent years, important steps have been taken to increase the efficiency of production in agriculture, apply modern technologies, and facilitate farmers' access to financial and technical resources. The application of digital solutions, the expansion of the electronic agricultural platform, and the transition to environmentally sustainable production models are among the main directions of state policy. Reducing the impacts of climate change, the efficient use of land and water resources, as well as the application of precision agriculture further increase the competitiveness of the agricultural sector. It is precisely in order to promote these strategic goals in the regions that Agrarian Business Festivals have been organized. This year, 32 festivals were held in 28 regions covering 13 economic regions of the country, and more than 8 million manats were sold. Seed exhibition-sales fairs, credit fairs, panel discussions and trainings were organized within the framework of the festivals."

The Minister noted that these festivals have made a significant contribution to the development of small and medium-sized businesses, the active involvement of women farmers and youth in the agricultural sector, and the expansion of the exchange of knowledge and experience, and at the same time, product festivals have created conditions for the promotion and branding of specialized agricultural products of the regions.

Speaking at the event, the Chairman of the Food Safety Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan Goshgar Tahmazli, Chairman of the Agrarian Policy Committee of the Milli Majlis Tahir Rzayev, Chairman of the Board of the Agency for the Development of Small and Medium-sized Businesses Orkhan Mammadli, President of the National Confederation of Entrepreneurs (Employers) Organizations of the Republic of Azerbaijan Mammad Musayev, Chairwoman of the Board of the Association for the Development of Women's Entrepreneurship in Azerbaijan Sakina Babayeva, Director of the Caspian Event Organisers Company Bakhtiyar Hidayetzade, Director of the Agrarian Innovation Center Anar Jafarov spoke about the importance of Agrarian Business Festivals in ensuring farmers' access to agricultural production tools and preferential agricultural loans. It was noted that the Agrarian Business Festivals will make significant contributions to the innovative, competitive and sustainable development of agriculture in the coming years.

It should be noted that in recent years, a total of 90 Agrarian Business Festivals have been held in the regions. 32 of these took place in 2025. A total of 421,907 people participated in the festivals held this year, of which 38,492 were farmers and 383,415 were visitors.

Within the framework of the festivals, 19 Product Festivals were organized in the regions in 2025 alone, jointly with the regional executive authorities. It is planned to represent the regions where product festivals are held with a stand under the name "Azerbaijan Pavilion" at the 19th Azerbaijan International Agricultural Exhibition ("Caspian Agro 2026") to be held next year.

Within the framework of the Agrarian Business Festivals, 14 seed exhibition-sales fairs, credit fairs were organized in 8 economic regions of the country in 2025, and within the framework of the “Application of Artificial Intelligence in Precision Agriculture” project, “Bootcamp” programs were organized in 5 regions, including Zangilan region and Khankendi city. About 90 students studying in specialties where artificial intelligence is taught from about 20 higher education institutions participated in the Bootcamp programs.

The final event dedicated to the Agrarian Business Festivals will continue with panel discussions on the topic “Opportunities for cooperation between state agencies in the agricultural sector”.