Damage to Agriculture Is Local

The rainy weather, as well as the hailstorms in several areas of Azerbaijan, caused serious damage to agriculture in the recent days. The Ministry of Agriculture is busy counting the damage.

The head of the Plant Growing Department Imran Jumshudov told Turan that, according to the observations and the information received, the greatest damage was caused to farms in the Imishli, Gadabey, Samukh, Tovuz and Agdam regions. This will affect the harvest of fruits, vegetables and potatoes. In the central areas grain has been beaten to the ground. According to the official representative of the Ministry of Agriculture, compensation is allocated to those farmers who have insured their crops on time. "Every year the state budget allocates 1 million AZN for insurance of the agricultural sector, including crops. Unfortunately, farmers are reluctant to enter into agreements with insurance companies, and therefore only a small portion of these funds is used."

According to regulations, a farm entering into an agreement with an insurance company pays 50% of the insurance, and the rest will be covered by the state budget. In the case of natural disasters and other calamities the insurance company pays the damages.

Every year, thousands of hectares in Azerbaijan suffer from natural disasters.   - 08B--