Imports increase, exports fall, and production uncertainty continues

Although the State Statistics Committee reported a 0.4 percent increase in meat production in January 2026 compared with the same period of the previous year, it recorded a decline in the production of other livestock products.

Baku faces a new challenge in its food market after Iran temporarily halted exports of agricultural and food products, a move that could disrupt supplies of low-cost goods widely consumed by poorer households in Azerbaijan.

In 2018, the Government of Azerbaijan adopted the “State Program for the Development of Rice Cultivation in the Republic of Azerbaijan for 2018–2025.” As stated in the document, the objective of the State Program was to more fully satisfy the country’s population demand for rice, substitute imports, develop the rice processing industry, increase employment among the rural population, and stimulate the development of the rice cultivation sector.

The implementation period of the “State Program on the Development of Sericulture and Silk Production in the Republic of Azerbaijan for 2018–2025” has come to an end. It should be recalled that the State Program was adopted in 2017.