The first agribusiness supported value chain projects was held by the Ministry of Agriculture

The opening ceremony of the first projects of creating a value chain with the support of the Ministry of Agriculture for the development of value chains in the agricultural business was held on September 17, in Samukh. The ceremony was attended by Inam Karimov, Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ali Godzhaev, head of the executive branch of the Samukh region, heads and representatives of relevant structures of the Ministry.

The participants of the event for the first time got acquainted with the activities of a plant for processing vegetable seeds in the village of Chobanabdalli. It was noted that each of the first value chains in agribusiness, which began operating in Samukh, provides for a partnership of up to 20 farmers and processors. These projects are important not only for farmers in the region and consumers of their products, but also for the country. Value chain projects built on the principle of “from field to table” aimed at the uninterrupted supply of relationships between producer, processor, seller and consumer are funded by the Agricultural Competitiveness Project, which is being implemented by the Ministry and World Bank. Mirza Aliyev, chairman of the Agency for Agro Credit and Development, said that value chain projects are Azerbaijan’s investment in agricultural business. Half of the cost of the project was funded by the state, which will be used to create and strengthen a weak value chain. The project will support the purchase of modern and innovative agricultural equipment for farmers, providing their plots with the necessary water and agricultural services, as well as the packaging of their products. The project “Development of vegetable seed production in Samukh” provides for the organization of seed production in accordance with modern requirements and standards of the population of several villages in the region, providing local farmers with high-quality local vegetable seeds, exporting vegetable seeds marked “Made in Azerbaijan”. The vegetable seed processing and packaging plant, based on the latest equipment in Chobanabdalli, plans to process 300 tons of seeds per year. In an interview with seeds participating in the project, Minister of Agriculture Inam Karimov said providing farmers with high-quality seeds is one of the most important conditions for increasing yields. At the same time, farmers must also adhere to agrotechnical rules: “As in all fields of agriculture, the main focus is on seed production. Important measures are implemented to provide farmers with quality seeds. As you know, Mr. President Ilham Aliyev approved the new subsidy rules. The new subsidy rules provide for subsidies for both the production of vegetables and the seed. ” The head of the executive branch of the Samukh region, Ali Godzhaev, called the launch of a seed processing business an important step towards diversifying the economy. The Head of the Administration emphasized that the new mechanism will also be able to benefit people from other regions. Later, Minister of Agriculture Inam Karimov visited the enterprise “Production of dried fruits in the Samukh region.” It was stated that the final product of the project is the production of industrial products, both for import and export. Grapes from local varieties grown by local farmers will be dried and packaged using the most modern methods and will be sold. The advantage of vegetable coconut is that it is processed using ozone rather than alkali and sulfur. As a result, both local and foreign consumers will be provided with environmentally friendly, healthy products. The annual production capacity of the enterprise is more than 250 tons. The Ministry of Agriculture intends to create 22 value chains in agribusiness.