A regional meeting was held in Khachmaz on the topic of "Joint fight against brown marmorated stink bug".

A regional meeting on the topic of "Joint fight against brown marmorated stink bug" was held in Khachmaz with the participation of state agencies.

The meeting was attended by the heads of the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, the Food Safety Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan (AFSA), the heads of the executive authorities of Khachmaz, Guba and Gusar districts, the directors of the State Agricultural Development Centers operating in the Sheki-Zagatala economic region, and specialists working in the field of plant protection.

Before the meeting, the participants visited the monument to the National Leader Heydar Aliyev and paid tribute to his memory by laying flowers in front of it. Delivering an opening speech at the event, the head of the Khachmaz region executive authority Elnur Rzayev said that systematic measures are being taken to combat plant pests, including brown marmorated stink bug, in the region. Noting that the relevant state agencies operating in the region are actively participating in the organization of pest control, Elnur Rzayev stressed his confidence that the damage caused by the brown marmorated stink bug beetle to the agricultural sector and the economy in general will be minimized as a result of the work done. He said that it is important to conduct consistent information work to accelerate and increase the effectiveness of the control work, and continuous work is being done in this direction.

Minister of Agriculture Majnun Mammadov said in his speech that among the invasive agricultural pests that have penetrated the country's territory in recent times, against the backdrop of the expansion of global trade relations and climate change, the brown marble beetle has entered a special risk group due to its high degree of economic danger. This pest, distinguished by its high adaptability and polyphagous nutritional characteristics, poses a direct and serious threat to the fruit growing sector, especially the hazelnut sector, which occupies an important place in the export potential of our country. Noting that the pest has already been observed in the orchards of the Guba-Khachmaz region, as well as in the Sheki-Zagatala economic region, the minister emphasized that the population density of brown marmorated stink bug has increased, especially in the Khachmaz, Guba and Gusar regions. Announcing the results of the monitoring conducted to detect the pest in the Guba-Khachmaz economic zone, Minister Majnun Mammadov called the Khachmaz and Gusar regions the main risk zones in terms of infection in the northern region. He said that in order to maintain the effectiveness of measures to combat thebrown marmorated stink bug, it is important to apply biological control measures, plan the spraying of agricultural fields and forests around the village during the vegetation period, expand awareness-raising activities and involve volunteer groups in the process.

Deputy Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Vugar Karimov noted that the brown marmorated stink bug is an ecologically dangerous pest and said that local agencies of the ministry, together with other agencies, regularly carry out measures in forest and forest-peripheral areas. He stressed the importance of involving State Border Service employees in headquarters meetings in order to monitor the pest in border regions during the migration period. Deputy Chairman of the AFSA Balarahim Guliyev reported on the work carried out by the Regional Coordination Centers within the framework of the fight against the brown marmorated stink bug, presented a report on the meetings held and the measures taken. In their speeches, the heads of local executive authorities provided information on the combat measures carried out in the regions and made proposals to strengthen the activities of the headquarters.

A wide exchange of views was held at the meeting on the organization of measures to combat the brown marmorated stink bug in 2026.