Only Intermediaries Benefit from Fruit Exports

One of the government's priorities should be to support farmers in their quest to create a union for export of fruits and vegetables. The expert Rovshan Agayev said that today from the export of fruit only intermediaries win, while manufacturers get a trifle.

Azerbaijan has started the collection and export of persimmons. A kilogram of the fruit is purchased from farmers at the price of 20 gepik or 200 manat per ton. Excluding the costs of collection, family farms get no more than 160 manat or US $ 100 per ton of harvest.

"Last year, Azerbaijan exported to Russia 89 thousand tons of persimmons. In both customs authorities it was declared at around $ 880 / ton. It turns out that in the best case, the farmer receives 12-13% of its export value," the economist said.

The journalist Afghan Mukhtarly born in the Zagatala region, where persimmons are one of the most popular fruits, says that in the Soviet Union, the peasants of northern regions of Azerbaijan received income of several million manat from fruit exports. Today, revenue from the sale of the fruit is only enough to meet their minimum needs. Meanwhile, millions of AZN are deposited in the pockets of middlemen and exporters.   ---08B