Important Events of 2020 in Agriculture of Azerbaijan

• 01.01.2020. The Rules "Subsidizing the production of agricultural products" came into force
• 01.01.2020. By the decree of President Ilham Aliyev, the country began to use a new mechanism of agricultural insurance.
• 14. 04. 2020. Under the chairmanship of President Ilham Aliyev, a meeting on the socio-economic results of the first quarter was held in the format of a video conference.
• 14. 04. 2020. The President of the Republic of Azerbaijan signed a decree on the allocation of funds to improve the provision of micro credits to agricultural producers in the context of a pandemic and in the subsequent period.
• 15.04 2020. President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree "On measures to ensure the efficient use of water resources."
• 15.07.2020. Under the chairmanship of President Ilham Aliyev, a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers was held, dedicated to the results of socio-economic development for the first half of 2020 and the challenges ahead.
• 23.07.2020. Meeting in video format under President Ilham Aliyev, dedicated to the situation in water management.
• 17. 08. 2020. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev signed a decree “On some measures to regulate the activities of OJSC“ Agrolizing ”.
• 08.12.20. The Russian Federal Service of Veterinary and Phytosanitary Control has applied temporary restrictions on the import of tomatoes and apples into the territory of the Russian Federation.
• 15.12.20. The Russian Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Supervision (Rosselkhoznadzor), under the guarantee of the Food Safety Agency of Azerbaijan, found it possible to allow the import of tomatoes into Russia from Agroterm LLC, located in the Khizi region of Azerbaijan, from December 16. And since December 17, four more Azerbaijani enterprises have received the right to resume export processes. Under the guarantee of the Food Safety Agency of Azerbaijan, products will be able to be imported by: Geothermal (Kurdamir region), Shukurov Ilkin Mirzakhan (Masalli region), LLC GP Alfa Greenhouse (Salyan region), LLC Hajigabul Greenhouse (Hajigabul region).

2020: the problem of drought and dehydration in agriculture

The outgoing year 2020 was remembered for some problems in the agriculture of Azerbaijan.

In the spring-summer of 2020, farmers faced the problem of a shortage of irrigation water and a shortage of water. For this reason, the production of cereals and legumes, which account for more than 60 percent of the total planted area, has significantly decreased compared to the previous year.

On July 23, 2020, at a meeting on the state of the water sector, President Ilham Aliyev said: “This year we used the experience of re-seeding for the first time. The first information provided to me was that we will plant corn on 100 thousand hectares.

Then we cut 50,000 hectares of it due to lack of water. But we were unable to sow even these 50 thousand hectares. "Speaking at the same meeting, the Minister of Agriculture said:" Due to the lack of water and drought, there has been a forced reduction in the cultivation of some plants that need more water. For example, if sugar beets it was envisaged to sow 7,500 hectares, the actual sowing was carried out on 4,800 hectares. Against the forecast of 4,000 hectares, rice was sown on 3,000 hectares. ”Further, Inam Kerimov stressed that this year there will be very serious problems in the development of animal husbandry. He said:“ the current situation negatively affects both fodder plants and natural sources of fodder. If watering is insufficient, the yield of forage crops can be significantly reduced. Also, due to the decrease in precipitation in pastures, there is a weak development of the natural grass cover. It can also create barriers to livestock development. "

In 2020, it is planned to produce 2 210.9 thousand tons of wheat, which is the main food product and ranks first in the country in terms of sown area. According to the Ministry of Agriculture with reference to the state budget package for 2020, in 2020 Azerbaijan is expected to produce 2 210.9 thousand tons of wheat. According to the State Statistics Committee, this year wheat production amounted to 1,860.2 thousand tons. This is 350.7 thousand tons, that is, 18.8% less than envisaged for 2020. In 2020, compared to 2019, wheat production decreased by 311.3 thousand tons, that is, by 16.7%. According to the State Statistics Committee, in 2020 compared to the same period in 2019, the production of cereals and legumes (including corn) decreased by 8.3 percent.

In 2020, compared with the previous year, the number of cattle decreased by 12.2 thousand head, and the number of sheep decreased by 114.9 thousand head. As of January 2020, the number of cattle in the country amounted to 2646.6 heads, sheep and goats - 8189.2 heads.

Due to the fact that 2020 was a drought year, there was a shortage of feed from January to the end of August, as a result of which the prices of bran and hay rose. This, in turn, led to an increase in production costs and meat prices in the regions. In 2020, the production of grain products used in the production of silage fodder also dropped significantly.

According to the State Statistics Committee, in January-November of this year, Azerbaijan produced agricultural products worth 7,966.1 million manats. In January-November 2020, the production of meat in live weight amounted to 491.4 thousand tons, milk - 1 971.1 thousand tons, and eggs - 1748.3 million pieces. As of December 1, 2020, 1,015.0 thousand tons of potatoes, 1,677.9 thousand tons of vegetables, as well as 1,121.5 thousand tons of fruits and berries were produced.

2020: Imports of agricultural products increase, while exports decrease

In January-October 2020, imports of milk and butter increased by 22.8% compared to the same period last year. So, compared to 10 months of last year, the import of milk increased by 1,301 tons, and the import of butter - by 2,558 tons. In general, if we convert butter into milk (excluding yoghurts, cheeses and other products) (58,834 tons), then the increase in milk imports amounted to 60,135 tons.

In January-October 2020, imports of basic food products and agricultural products increased significantly compared to the same period last year. So, in January-October 2020, imports of milk increased by 18.6%, butter - by 22.9%, and meat imports increased in value terms by 2.8%, although in physical weight it decreased by 13.4% ... In addition, livestock brought into the country for slaughter increased in value by 14.2%. This means that the import of meat has also increased in physical weight.

In January-October 2020, compared to the same period last year, imports of fruits and vegetables increased by 1,578 tons, while exports decreased by 3,900 tons. Imports of fruits and vegetables increased in physical weight by 0.6 percent, tea - by 2.1 percent, and rice - by 19.4 percent. In January-October of this year, imports of fats and oils of vegetable and animal origin in natural weight compared to the same period last year increased by 10.2 thousand tons

In January-October 2020, compared to the same period of the previous year, the volumes of the main export goods decreased. So, in January-October this year, compared to the same period last year, the export of vegetables and fruits decreased by 0.8%. Of the traditional export products, forest hazelnuts decreased in physical weight by 23.4%, apples - by 27%, and dates - by 24.7%.

In January-October 2020, cotton fiber and cotton yarn were exported in the amount of 109 million 429 thousand dollars, that is, 6% less than in the same period last year.

A decrease in grain production in 2020 will lead to an increase in the prices of compound feed in the winter-spring period of 2021. This, in turn, will raise prices for livestock products.

The government announced an increase in wheat production in 2021 a year ago. With reference to the state budget package for 2020, the Ministry of Agriculture reports that the production of 2,218.8 thousand tons of wheat is expected in 2021.

Vahid Magerramov

[1]http://atv.az/news/economy/118295-novbeti-iki-ilde-bugda-istehsali-artirilacaq-kend-teserrufati-nazirliyi-plani-aciqladi

[2] https://virtualaz.org/aktual/158778