Media Review May 24, 2019

The development of industry in the non-oil sector, the "economic" basis of violence against women, the situation in the field of alternative energy, and the growth of potato imports are the leading technologies of today's media.

The newspaper Azerbaijan writes that Ilham Aliyev"s policy on the development of industry in the non-oil sector is producing results. The author recalls that there are 5 industrial parks in the country. Their enterprises are engaged in the fields of recycling, chemical, light industry, shipbuilding, and pharmaceuticals. These enterprises employ 9 thousand people. The country is experiencing industrial growth. For 4 months of this year, growth in the non-oil sector amounted to more than 15 percent. In January-March of this year, the export of non-oil goods was carried out in the amount of 415.3 million dollars.

The website Yenisabah.az writes about the causes of domestic violence against women against the background of a report presented by the UN Resident Coordinator Ghulam Iskhagzai. According to the report, in Azerbaijan, 32.5% of men carry violence against women. Expert Natig Jafarli believes that this figure is underestimated, in reality it is 2 times higher. Domestic violence is often attributed to "family values" and generally accepted rules of behavior. There is also an economic factor in this relationship, since after a divorce a woman will not be able to feed herself and her children. However, as the welfare of women increases, they become financially independent, and can afford a divorce and therefore avoid domestic violence.

The newspaper Yeni Musavat raises the issue of alternative electricity. This is a project to build a wind power plant in the sea. China and Qatar have expressed a desire to participate in the project. With foreign investors negotiations are underway to finance the project. The station is planned to be built between the islands of Pirallahi and Chilov. The power station will be 200 megawatts. The project cost is 300-330 million manat. The project, according to estimates, will be repaid within 10 years. The government of Azerbaijan plans to increase the share of alternative energy to 30% by 2030.

The website Oxu.az writes about the increase in imports of potatoes. In the first quarter of 2019, potato exports from Azerbaijan decreased by 24.6%, while imports increased by 24.4%. In total, in the first quarter Azerbaijan exported 1,013 tons of potatoes in the amount of 443 thousand dollars. Last year, during the same period, 24.6 tons were exported. During the same period, 66 thousand tons of potatoes were imported in the amount of 17 million 326 thousand dollars.