Baku, Azerbaijan, May 11
By Ilkin Shafiyev – Trend:
Cost of milk production needs to be reduced in Azerbaijan, Executive Director of Azerbaijan's Association of Producers and Exporters of Milk and Dairy Products (ASEB) Samir Eyyubov told Trend on May 11.
"The state provided huge support to milk producers. Roughly 30,000 purebred cows were brought to the country and now they give high milk yields. In addition, these cows have offspring, which further affects the production volumes," Eyyubov said.
The milk surplus on the market, according to him, forces farmers to work at a loss.
"Today, milk is very cheap in Azerbaijan. Therefore, sometimes farmers sell it below the cost price. That is, they work at a loss. This can not continue for a long time, as due to this farmers may switch to production of other types of products. The prices for milk will increase, and accordingly the price for dairy products will rise. To prevent this, it is necessary to reduce the cost of milk production, " Eyyubov said.
He noted that here everything depends on both the state and the producers themselves.
"Particularly, it is necessary to increase the average milk yield. This figure is 40-45 liters per cow in European countries, while in Azerbaijan it is 20-25 liters per cow. This depends on care of the animal, fodder base, " Eyyubov stressed.
According to the Azerbaijani State Statistics Committee, in the first quarter of 2018, 458,200 tons of milk were produced in Azerbaijan. The figure increased by 1.7 percent compared to the same period of 2017.
ASEB was established on Jan. 26, 2018. Currently, it unites 20 companies, and talks underway with new companies.
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