Agriculture (2009 results)

In 2009 public care increased for the agricultural sector, preferential loans were provided to farmers, leasing services were improved, entrepreneurship was developed due to the budget.

In 2009, total agricultural production in Azerbaijan rose by 3.5 percent, including crop production - 4 percent, livestock products - 2.8 percent, State Statistics Committee of Azerbaijan said.

Factual prices of the products of the agricultural, forestry, fishery and hunting economies in Azerbaijan in, thous manats

Source: State Statistics Committee

In Azerbaijan, as of 1 January 2010, 2,988,300 tons of grain and legumes, were harvested which is 19.6 percent or 490,000 tons more than in 2008. The crop was harvested from 1.1256 million hectares. An average of 26.6 metric centner crop was harvested from each hectare.

Of these, 2,141,400 tons, or 71.7 accounted for grain, 151,200 tons, or 5.1 percent - corn. Sown area of grain and leguminous crops in 2009 mainly increased due to the spring crop by 25.8 percent or 230,600 hectares.

In 2009, the volume of cotton production declined by 44.2 percent to 30,900 tons. The main reason for declining in production in Azerbaijan was reducing the planting area to 21,100 hectares from 48,200 hectares in 2008.

Situation with the production and productivity of some crops

Source: State Statistics Committee

Tobacco production in 2009 increased by five percent to 2,600 tons. The growth of this sector was achieved through expansion of planting areas by 12.6 percent.

Last year in Azerbaijan sugar beet was planted in the territory of 7,600 hectares, from which 182,300 tons of the crop was harvested. Sugar production in 2008 declined by 5.7 percent or 11,000 tons.

During the reported period, were collected 983,000 tons of potatoes, 1,177,900 tons of vegetables, 410,800 tons of melon products.

In 2009 due to increasing the production of almost all kinds of fruit, a record volume of fruit and berries was harvested - 721,400 tons, 129,200 tons of grapes. As compared with 2008, production of fruits and berries increased by 1.2 percent, grapes by 11.5 percent.

Production of green tea leaves grew by 38.3 percent to 447 tons.

Livestock is an important area of agriculture of Azerbaijan and there were positive developments in this regard over recent years. In 2009, Azerbaijan produced 305,100 tons of meat, 1,433,100 tons of milk, 1,209,400 chicken eggs and 15,300 tons of wool. Meat production over the last year increased by 2008 to 0.8 percent, milk - 3.7 percent, eggs - 9.8 percent, and wool - 3.3 percent.

Production of cattle-breeding (in ths tons)

Source: State Statistics Committee

Number of cattle in the end of year, thous heads

Source: State Statistics Committee

In the poultry factories, production of eggs increased by 9.4 percent to 565.4 million.

In Azerbaijan, the December index of production prices for agricultural commodities fell by one percent as compared to the previous month, and increased by 0.3 percent in January-December compared to the same period of last year. Last month, the prices of crop production, melon and fruit decreased by 0.7 percent. In December, the index of production prices for livestock products and livestock grew by 1.3 percent compared to November last year. Forestry products increased by 3.9 percent, prices of fish and fishery products rose by 8.7 percent.