ISMAYILLI, Azerbaijan, June 12. More than 5 billion manat ($2.9 billion) will be invested in the agrarian state program in Azerbaijan, Khalid Ahadov, assistant to the President of Azerbaijan on socio-economic issues, said, Trend's correspondent reports from the event.
Ahadov made the remark at a regional consultation on the Mountainous Shirvan economic region in the district, conducted within the framework of the State Program for the Development of Agricultural Production and Processing, Fisheries, and Aquaculture in Azerbaijan for 2026–2030.
He explained that it's planned to attract more than 2 billion manat ($1.18 billion) from the public and about 3 billion manat ($1.7 billion) from the private sector to implement the measures envisaged in the program.
According to him, taking into account that the adopted state program should be implemented within four and a half years, we should start implementing the tasks set before us without wasting time, guided by the instruction of the President to immediately begin the implementation of this program.
"We can fully achieve the implementation of the tasks set before us by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, as a result of ensuring the coordinated activities of all central and local executive bodies and mobilizing the investment and management capabilities of the private sector," he noted.
Ahadov pointed out that the efficient use of water and land resources is one of the main priorities.
"The introduction of modern irrigation systems, improvement of on-farm irrigation networks, cleaning of existing canals, as well as education of farmers, requires special attention," Ahadov said.
The official underscored that increasing productivity in the agricultural sector, improving irrigation and energy supply, introducing modern technologies, and timely implementation of agrotechnical measures can only be possible as a result of the joint activities of all executive bodies.
"The heads of executive authorities, entrepreneurs, and representatives of large farms participating in today's meeting should pay special attention to the implementation of the following tasks arising from the State Program. The heads of executive authorities, together with representatives of relevant institutions, should determine target indicators and result indicators for the main directions in the agrarian sector based on the state program and ensure the preparation of a socio-economic development program for each region for 2026-2030, take all necessary measures to support entrepreneurship and local producers in the areas, establish processing plants, silos and cold storages, expand the application of modern irrigation systems, and increase productivity in the production of agricultural products, especially in the fields of cotton and grain growing, make the promotion of the state program among farmers and entrepreneurs their daily tasks by using local opportunities, act as the main organizers of this work, and ensure the implementation of systematic and complex measures in accordance with the requirements of the time. The basis of the promotion should be the President's speech at the meeting dedicated to agricultural issues.
Every employee of the city and district executive authorities, including local representatives of the heads of executive authorities, should study this speech in depth and base it on it in their propaganda work, mobilize all their capabilities, and take all necessary measures to ensure that entrepreneurs and farmers join the President's call. The main responsibility for carrying out organizational work related to the implementation of the State Program lies with local executive authorities and all organizations included in this structure.
The President's special emphasis on the role of the private sector in the implementation of the state program once again shows that sustainable development of agriculture is possible not only with state support, but also with the active participation of farmers, agroparks, processing enterprises, logistics companies, and private sector entities providing technology and irrigation solutions. Thus, in the coming period, the private sector should act not only as a producer, but as a main participant and driving force in the agrarian value chain. The farmer produces the product, the processing enterprise adds additional value to that product, the logistics and storage infrastructure reduces product losses, and the exporter exports the product to foreign markets. It should be taken into account that if any link in this chain is broken, the result obtained in production cannot be fully converted into economic value," Ahadov added.
