Republican meeting on the theme of “Development of pomegranate: upcoming challenges” was held in Goychay

On September 27, Republican Meeting on the theme of “Development of pomegranate: upcoming challenges” was held in Goychay chaired by Inam Karimov, Minister of Agriculture.

Representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture, responsible people of various executive structures, heads of subordinate bodies of the Ministry and State Agricultural Development Centers, representatives of research institutes, members of the Association of Pomegranate Producers and Exporters of Azerbaijan, about 220 farmers engaged pomegranate production in 8 regions of the country attended at the meeting held at Heydar Aliyev Center. Opening the event, the head of the Executive Power of the Goychay region, Mehdi Salimzade, said that reforms in the agricultural sector, initiated by the great leader Heydar Aliyev, have been successfully continued by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Ilham Aliyev. He noted that these measures created a real basis for sustainable development in the agricultural sector, which is the leading sector of the non-oil sector, and in recent years there has been significant growth. The head of the executive branch added that special attention to the agricultural sector contributed to the growing interest of farmers in this field: “In recent years, pomegranate has developed in the Goychay region. New pomegranate gardens were planted on an area of 1000 hectares. Goychay accounts for 20% of pomegranate products supplied to the country. Last year, 31103 tons of pomegranate were produced in Goychay, and as a result, our farmers received 20 million manats from the production of pomegranate. The annual pomegranate festivals in our area contribute to the development of this lucrative industry. ” 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 priority fields. The Minister said that as a result of the implementation measures, the pace of development of the agricultural sector continues: “The agricultural reforms carried out by Mr. President provide for the further development of agriculture. The state is taking systematic measures to develop the agricultural sector, including pomegranate, and subsidies are provided for the development of this sector.

As a result of these multilateral government support measures, sustainable development has been achieved in the agricultural sector. As in 2018, growth in the agricultural sector in 2019 exceeded 6%. In the first six months of this year alone, total agricultural production increased by 13 percent compared to the same period last year, which is one of the highest rates”.

Noting the rich history and rich potential of pomegranate in Azerbaijan, the Minister of Agriculture said: President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev gave important tasks for the development of this field: These measures have led to significant results in the development of traditional agriculture in the country, reliable basis for increasing population employment and poverty reduction in regions”. The Minister noted that the presence of favorable climatic conditions and traditions for growing various fruit crops in the country, the high economic efficiency of this region and the export potential make it necessary to develop fruits, as well as growing pomegranate: “Chahrayi giloysha”, “Bala Mursal”, “Azerbaijan guloyshasi”, “Nazikgabig”, “Valas”, “İri gila” and other varieties are cultivated. It is very pleasant that in all areas of the agricultural sector there is progress in the cultivation of pomegranates. Currently, the area of pomegranate cultivation has been increased to 23000 ha, and the production of pomegranate is up to 155000 tons. However, we cannot be satisfied with crop productivity. The yield per hectare for the production of pomegranate is about 7 tons. Our goal is to increase the yield to 15 tons per hectare. ” Minister Inam Karimov added that the first 4 years of intensive gardens, as well as intensive pomegranates, in accordance with the “Regulation on subsidies for agricultural production”, approved by Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan No. 759 dated June 27, 2019. During the year, he will pay 800 manat per hectare and 240 manat in subsequent years. Intensive gardening subsidies will apply to 2019. In his speech, the Minister touched upon the comprehensive measures taken for the development of pomegranate in Azerbaijan. He informed the farmers about the preparation for the pomegranate season and the upcoming tasks, the development of pomegranates, the goals and prospects, as well as the work done in the field of agriculture, as well as the upcoming tasks. 7 farmers were awarded with gratitude from the Ministry of Agriculture for their role in the development of poultry farming in Azerbaijan in 2019. Letters of thanks were sent to farmers by Inam Karimov, Minister of Agriculture, Mehdi Salimov, head of the Executive Power of the Goychay region and Farhad Garashov, chairman of the Association of Producers and Exporters of Pomegranate of Azerbaijan. Later, Tofik Rzayev, head of the Department of Fruits and Vegetables of the Ministry of Agriculture spoke about the current situation with the production of pomegranate in the country, and Farhad Garashov, chairman of the Association of Producers and Exporters of Pomegranate of Azerbaijan informed the participants about the activities of the Association. Eyvaz Samedov, a farmer from the Goychay region, shared his views on the development of pomegranate.

The discussion included the development of pomegranates, the provision of pomegranate seedlings, the gradual replacement of existing pomegranate gardens with intensive horticulture, the development of new productive and highquality breeders, the specialization of pomegranate in the regions, the expansion of innovative technologies in the production and processing of pomegranate, and existing refrigerated storage. The parties exchanged views on increasing the capacity of their systems, stimulating the production of environmentally friendly products and the proposals of farmers. At the end of the discussion, it was stated that meetings in this format would continue and farmers would be informed of the work being done to address these issues.