Harvest of Pomegranates Rises

This year, the weather conditions were favorable for a rich harvest of pomegranates. Only in Goychay gardeners expect collecting 48,000 tons of the crop, which is about 5000 tons, or 10% more than in 2013.

Season of collecting pomegranates is almost over. The markets are full of pomegranates, and canneries continue to take harvest from the peasants for juicing and manufacturing pomegranate sauce. Part of the production is exported or stored for shipment abroad at the appropriate moment.

Despite the abundance, retail prices are about the same as last year. A kilogram of pomegranates is sold at the price of 0.5 - 1 manat.

The area of pomegranate orchards has been actively growing since 2000. Over the years they have increased from 9 300 to 20 800 hectares. Only in 2013 were planted pomegranate trees on 314 hectares. In Goychay in which the fruit of this trend develops more broadly, the gardens have expanded 5.5 times. In this area in 2013-2014 were established 250 hectares of pomegranate orchards.

According to the State Statistics Committee, in 2013 Azerbaijan collected about 150 000 tons of pomegranates. This is 5.8% more than in 2012. The State Customs Committee does not provide information on the export of these products. According to the executive power in the Goychay district, in 2013 40% of the production of pomegranates were exported to Russia, Ukraine and Georgia.

There is no accurate information and the production of goods processing. In 2013, in Goychay produced about 262,000 deciliters of juice, part of which falls on the grenade.

There are several large processing plants (AzNar, AzGranat, Gilan Qebele Yeyinti Istehsal et al.) that buy products from farmers for the production of beverages. The first two of these have their own gardens of several hundred hectares.

In 2011, the NGO Center for Economic Research found that there are difficulties in the export of pomegranate and pomegranate juice: the official customs rate for 20 tons of pomegranate juice is 515 manat, but with the loss of time and additional payments, this amount increases at least twice. --08B--