BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 5
By Fidan Babayeva - Trend:
The lands of Azerbaijan liberated from Armenian occupation, have great potential for the development of viticulture and winemaking, Elchin Madatov, Chairman of the Azerbaijani Wine Producers and Exporters Association, told Trend on March 5.
“The laying of foundation of a vineyard, the construction and commissioning of a winery require big investments,” Madatov added. "The restoration work that has begun in the liberated territories gives us hope that new vineyards and wineries will be built in this region, as it has always been famous for its wine and brandies."
“Azerbaijani winemakers’ volume of production decreased by more than 50 percent in 2020,” the chairman said. "There has been a decline both in the domestic market and in the export of wine since 2020. Azerbaijan’s production and sale of alcoholic beverages and wine sharply decreased.”
“The volume of wine production amounted to slightly more than 300,000 decaliters in 2020 while the export volume decreased by 44.8 percent,” the chairman added.
“The volume of export in monetary terms amounted to only $4.03 million last year,” Madatov said. “The decline reached 60 percent in the production and export of cognac."
The main exporters of Azerbaijani wine are Shaki, Jalilabad, Ganja, Goygol wineries, as well as a number of other private companies engaged in the production of alcoholic beverages.
The volume of wine production reached over 500,000 decaliters in Azerbaijan last year. A record grape crop - more than 190,000 tons was harvested in Azerbaijan in 2019, which is by 30 percent more than a year earlier.
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