The meeting of ASK Commission on Agrarian Development was held
On April 23, a meeting of “Agrarian Development Commission” operating under the Azerbaijan Entrepreneurs Confederation (ASK) was held. The meeting, chaired by Chairman of the Board of “Azersun Holding” Abdolbari Goozal, discussed the difficulties faced by entrepreneurs during the pandemic period, especially those living in rural areas and in the agricultural sector, and ways to overcome them, as well as general problems of agriculture.
ASK President Mammad Musayev and Chairman of the Agrarian Credit and Development Agency under the Ministry of Agriculture Mirza Aliyev also took part in the discussions.
Entrepreneurs spoke about the impact of the pandemic on business, the lack of water in the fields, the lack of spare parts for technical equipment used in the agricultural sector, and some difficulties with animal feed. It is proposed to make some changes in customs tariffs in order to restructure existing credit debts, extend interest payments, increase the depth of processing.
Chairman of the commission Abdulbari Gozel said that the food sector is of strategic importance in the world today: “It is important to achieve self-sufficiency in food. I think that it is possible to pump water from the Kura into the canals by installing temporary pumps.
Commission member Alibala Alizadeh briefed the participants on the program developed to restore the fertility of land. According to him, the program envisages the use of organic fertilizers to achieve high productivity.
According to Mirza Aliyev, Chairman of the Board of AKIA, proposals have been submitted to the government to form a raw material base for animal feed. Emphasizing that the difficulties related to spare parts are related to the quarantine period, M. Aliyev said that the ministry is with entrepreneurs to address water shortages and other issues, and the necessary support will be provided.
Concluding the meeting, ASK President Mammad Musayev said that on the instructions of President Ilham Aliyev, the government has provided a package of benefits and financial support to businesses suffering from the coronavirus pandemic. Emphasizing that the agrarian sector has great development potential in Azerbaijan, Musayev called on entrepreneurs to work harder and unite around the state. The ASK President said that the proposals would be documented and submitted to the relevant government agencies.