Farmer stores and 'green' shops may appear in Azerbaijan

By AzerNews

Farmer stores and 'green' shops may start operating in Azerbaijan this year, Agriculture Ministry's Department Head Sabir Veliyev told Trend Agency on January 29.

Veliyev noted that specialized farmer stores and 'green' shops, which will function in Baku and other large cities on a permanent basis, will operate within the agricultural fairs.

He went on to say that the executive bodies, which should allocate a territory for the construction of these facilities, are working on the issue.

The existence of cold stores in these facilities is necessary to prevent the products from rot and avoid problems with sale, Veliyev stressed.

Earlier, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev issued a decree on additional measures for improving the food market and agricultural products.

The document noted that Azerbaijan will establish a network of specialized farmer stores and 'green' shops which will operate in Baku's districts and large cities of the country on a permanent basis.

The Agriculture Ministry and the bodies of the local executive power should submit their proposals on supporting the establishment of shop networks to Azerbaijan's president within a month.

The Cabinet of Ministers was instructed to develop and submit proposals on the allocation of an area for farmer stores, 'green' shops, and wholesale centers to the president within three months.

Reliable food supply for the population is one of the priorities of Azerbaijan's economic policy. The country adopted a State Program on reliable food supply of population for 2008-2015 in 2008.

The main goal of the state program is to fully provide each citizen with food products, at least in accordance with the accepted minimal norms, in order to ensure their productive living patterns.

The development of the agrarian sector was also one of Azerbaijan's priorities in recent years. The government continued tax allowance in agriculture, and provided large-scale state support to farmers. It ensured the allocation of subsidiaries for motor fuel, grain and rice sowing, seed production, and fertilizer sale.

Azerbaijan also started the allocation of subsidiaries to farmers in 2007, and the Head of State signed a decree on state support to farmers. The document envisages the allocation of 40 manats to farmers for the fuel used for cultivating each hectare of lands, and an additional 40 manats for each hectare of sown grain and rice.

The taken measures facilitated the growth of self-ensuring with main food products. Azerbaijan currently produces the main part of food products consumed in the country.

As a result of the measures conducted in Azerbaijan to ensure food security, the production of husbandry goods has increased by 3.1 times, cattle-breeding by 3.4 times, meat production by 1.6 times, and grain production by 1.4 times in the past 10 years.

Azerbaijan plans to continue state support for agriculture in the future. the improvement of the process of subsidiary allocation, the stimulation of intensive methods in agriculture, the improvement of ensuring mechanisms, and the propagation of producing ecologically clean agriculture are among the priorities.

The main directions of state policy by 2015 are to provide a balanced local and regional economic development, carry out the relevant actions related to the protection of domestic food market from unfair competition, continue the protection of ecological balance and bio-diversity, and develop cooperation with international organizations to improve food supply.