Identified Priorities for Improving Agricultural Commodity Markets

The Ministry of Agriculture has identified priorities for improving the market for agricultural products. New conditions must ensure free access for farmers to the market and respond to their interests, the article by the head of this department Heydar Asadov says in the official newspaper.

The position of the Ministry of Agriculture is that the state should support the establishment of private purchasing and sales bases and companies, logistics centers, packaging farms, parks for auto refrigerator transportation of agricultural and food products. In support of the needs in Baku and regions there are specialized "farm shops" and "green markets".

Among the priorities is creating responsible animal health and sanitary requirements of slaughtering livestock and meat sales.

Not yet solved is the problem of unfair competition in the market of agricultural and food products, the minister said. Here it is ranked as the transportation of these goods within the country, and the need to simplify the procedures for their exports. Note that according to the report of the WB and IFC «Doing Business-2015", 1 container of export goods costs an average of $ 3460 and can take up to 27 days for customs and so on procedures. In Georgia, for example, the process lasts one week and costs entrepreneurs no more than $ 1355.

Work on the creation of a new market infrastructure has already begun. By the end of this year it is expected to put into operation in Baku and Absheron three logistics centers with a total capacity of 110 000 tons of agricultural and food products. Through soft loans is financed the construction of the Green Market in Baku. Defined are locations of three points of slaughter and sale of meat in Baku. Construction of the first item ends. --08D--