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.
