Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 4
By Ilhama Isabalayeva - Trend:
For the first time in the post-Soviet period, negotiations have begun in Azerbaijan on the export of blunt-nosed viper venom, Director of the Institute of Zoology of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS) Elman Yusifov told Trend Sep. 4.
Presently, negotiations on the export of snake venom are being held with the Turkish company Marmara Trade, according to Yusifov.
"They applied to buy some of the venom left over from the Soviet period. They will conduct an analysis of the venom in an international laboratory. The second stage of negotiations will begin after receiving exact information about the venom's suitability," Yusifov said.
About 20 kilograms of snake venom has remained in Azerbaijan, according to Yusifov.
Marmara Trade intends to purchase 8-10 kilograms of the venom.
"The price of one gram of snake venom in the world market has risen from $100 to $500," he added.
"If the results of the talks ensure the export of the venom, the issue of restoring its production in Azerbaijan will be raised at the department of biology and medical sciences of the Zoology Institute and the Presidium of ANAS," Yusifov said.
According to the director of the institute, the largest area of blunt-nosed viper's habitat in the South Caucasus falls on Azerbaijan and a very small part on Armenia and Georgia.