BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 25. Azerbaijan's
agricultural production increased by 37.8% in real terms over the
past 10 years, Minister of Agriculture Majnun Mammadov said on
Friday at the 2nd Azerbaijan International Investment Forum in
Baku, Trend's
correspondent reports from the event.


He said fishery production increased 2.7 times over the same
period.


“Azerbaijan has achieved self-sufficiency in several high-value
products while also strengthening its position in international
markets. Today, our country is among the world's leading producers
and exporters of products such as hazelnuts, persimmons, peaches
and nectarines, as well as strawberries, cherries, tomatoes and
cotton lint,” Mammadov said.


According to him, the next stage of agricultural development
should focus not only on increasing production volumes but also on
improving productivity, sustainability and value added through more
efficient use of existing resources.


“Today, agriculture is no longer limited to land, water and
traditional production factors. Modern agriculture has become an
area of economic activity where technology, science, data, finance
and effective management come together,” the minister said.


Mammadov noted that one of the key priorities in this area was
increasing productivity and resource efficiency.


“Precision agriculture, satellite data, remote sensing, sensors,
drones, smart irrigation and artificial intelligence can
fundamentally change the way farmers manage land, water and crops,”
he emphasized.


The minister said efficient use of water resources was of
particular importance for Azerbaijan.







“Modern irrigation systems are currently being applied across
approximately 130,000 hectares, and our target is to increase this
figure to 300,000 hectares by 2030. This will support both
productivity and climate resilience,” Mammadov said.


He said work was also underway to develop a digital and
innovation ecosystem in agriculture.


“We are working to bring together satellite data, weather and
climate indicators, farm data, sensors and other digital
technologies and turn them into practical solutions for farmers,”
the minister said.


Mammadov added that expanding modern processing, storage,
cold-chain, logistics, sorting and packaging capabilities was
important for creating higher value added in agriculture.


“Our goal is to develop competitive value chains from production
to processing, from processing to logistics, and from logistics to
domestic and international markets,” he emphasized.


The minister said that when attracting investment in
agriculture, Azerbaijan prioritizes not only financial resources
but also long-term partnerships that provide access to technology,
knowledge, management expertise and international markets.