Another government program has failed

The “State Program for the Development of Citrus Cultivation in the Republic of Azerbaijan for 2018–2025” was adopted in February 2018. The program’s implementation period concludes this year, 2024. The document states that “the program aims to increase citrus fruit production volume to 100,000 tons by 2025.”

According to data presented by the State Customs Committee, our calculations show that in January-September 2024, the value of food imports increased by 11.4% compared to the same period last year. Specifically, during the first nine months of this year, the country imported food worth USD 1.755 billion, which is USD 179.7 million more than in the same period last year (USD 1.576 billion). Notably, this year marks the first time in Azerbaijan’s history that a record volume of food imports has been recorded. It is worth noting that over the past five years, food imports have grown by 52.5%, and over the last ten years, they have more than doubled (by 2.4 times).

The State Statistics Committee shows on its official website that in September 2024, the consumer price index in Azerbaijan was 103.5 percent compared to September 2023, including 102.9 percent for food products, beverages, and tobacco products, 101.9 percent for non-food products, and 105.7 percent for paid services provided to the population.

According to data released by the State Statistics Committee, silk production in Azerbaijan reached 239.4 tons in the January-August period of 2024, which is 32.9% less compared to the previous year. It should be noted that the decline in silk production for 2024 was evident from the beginning of the year, as significantly fewer silkworm seeds were distributed to farmers compared to previous years. Specifically, in 2021, the government distributed 14,700 boxes of silkworm seeds to farmers free of charge, in 2022 – 11,130 boxes, in 2023 – 11,500 boxes, and in 2024, only 9,000 boxes were given to silk producers. As a result, the number of free boxes distributed in 2024 decreased by 5,700 compared to 2021, representing a 38.7% decline.