II International Festival of hazelnuts, walnuts and chestnuts were held in Zagatala

Inam Karimov: We rely on that the previous year our farmers’

achievements will be even more this year

II International Festival of hazelnuts, walnuts and chestnuts were held in Zagatala from 28 september to 30.

The main goal of the festival was  organized of Zagatala region Executive Power, support by the Ministries of Agriculture and Culture, “Procurement and Supply” OJSC and the Association of Hazelnut Producers and Exporters under the Ministry of Agriculture to  demonstrate the economic, cultural and tourism potential of our country, as well as the Zagatala region, to promote the widespread use of traditional hazelnuts and agricultural products in the region. At the opening ceremony, Inam Karimov Minister of Agriculture, Sahib Mammadov deputy Minister of Economy, representatives of the Ministry of Culture, Reclamation and Water Management OJSC and other government bodies, deputies of the Milli Majlis, representatives of embassies operating in our country, hazelnut producers and exporters, residents district and city guests were presented. The region administration and guests firstly laid flowers at the monument to the great leader and met with the Heydar Aliyev Center.

Then, the hazelnut garden in “Parzivan” area of the Zagatala Regional Experimental Station and the hazelnut processing plant of “Karacha Hazelnut” LLC were inspected. Speaking at the opening ceremony of the festival in “Dada Gorgud” Square in Zagatala, Mubariz Ahmadzadeh, the head of the region executive power, spoke about the successes of the country in the socio-economic sphere under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev. He said that among the exported agricultural products, hazelnut is the second largest. Zagatala also has a great potential for hazelnut. In 1929, the only hazelnut processing plant in the area of the SSRI was launched in the region. The hazelnut and canned products produced at the factory were exported to all the Soviet republics, as well as to several European countries. In 1932, the first hazelnut farm was established in Zagatala.

M.Ahmadzadeh noted that in order to fulfill the instructions given by President Ilham Aliyev regarding the development of hazelnuts in agricultural export areas, in recent years, sustainable work has to create new hazelnut orchards in Zagatala region. So, over the past four years, the total area of hazelnuts has increased from 9 575 ha to 19 760 ha, and the fields for nuts and chestnuts have been expanded. Although 9,283 tons of hazelnuts were produced in the region in 2015, production in 2018 reached 15,069 tons. Last year, Zagatala processing enterprises exported nuts worth 72,059,000 manats. It was noted that in 2018 783 tons of nuts and 141 tons of chestnuts also produced in the region. Speaking at the meeting, Minister of Agriculture Inam Karimov said that the government has implemented systematic measures to develop the agricultural sector, including traditional fields of agriculture. He noted that today in Azerbaijan there are more than 80 thousand hectares of orchards. Over the past 5 years, the total area of gardens has doubled. Today, Azerbaijan is the third largest producer of hazelnuts in the world. The Minister praised the importance of agricultural holidays in different regions of the country, saying: “Today, farmers celebrate their harvest. This holiday is a holiday of their hard work and throughout the year. Those invited to the festival, as well as residents of the area, came together to celebrate the successes of our farmers and share their joy. We rely on that the previous year our farmers’ achievements will be even more this year” Speaking at the ceremony, Deputy Minister of Economy Sahib Mammadov congratulated the festival participants on a wonderful holiday: “Huzelnuts, walnuts, chestnuts and other agricultural products, which have become the brand of the North-West region, are now promoting Azerbaijan. These products, exported to foreign markets under the brand name “Made in Azerbaijan”, will undoubtedly contribute to the worldwide recognition of our country. Holding such events is very important for promoting the existing potential of the region. Such events inspire local farmers to produce more products. We believe that the holding of these events is the impetus for a successful policy in the development of our regions. ” Speaking at the ceremony, the representative of the Ministry of Culture Seymur Hasanov said that such festivals had a positive impact on the development of tourism in Azerbaijan. After the official opening ceremony, the festival participants familiarized themselves with exhibitions of hazelnut, walnut and chestnut crafts, paintings and arts and crafts, as well as familiarized themselves with products manufactured by hazelnut processing and export companies. Various kinds of hazelnuts, nuts and chestnuts were presented at the fair. The first day of the festival ended with a concert in Heydar Park. On the second day of the festival, a symposium was held at the Heydar Aliyev Center on growing hazelnuts and other nutritious plants, the prospects for the development of this region, and on the last day there was a fair of fruit berries.