ADB announces plans to participate in transformation of agricultural sector in Azerbaijan

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has begun preliminary discussions with the government of Azerbaijan on cooperation in agriculture, Marina Rose Best, ADB country operations head for Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan, said on the third day of the Baku Climate Action Week (BCAW2025), Report informs.

Best recalled that the bank's long-term Strategy 2030 identifies agriculture as one of its seven operational priorities.

"We have also included agriculture in our climate plans. And this year, we announced a $40 billion investment program to transform food systems by 2030, covering both the public and private sectors. Part of this program is also reflected in our partnership strategy with Azerbaijan, which began this summer. Agriculture is extremely important for Azerbaijan, especially in the context of economic diversification plans. About 36% of the country's population is employed in agriculture, and this sector is a significant contributor to GDP outside the oil and gas sector. However, despite this importance, it remains significantly underinvested: only about 1 in 10 hectares of irrigated land has adequate irrigation systems," she said.

The bank representative noted that ADB considers this area a top priority in its cooperation with Azerbaijan.

"Until now, our contribution to agriculture in Azerbaijan has been limited, but we want to change that. We've already begun preliminary discussions with the government. Specifically, we're considering projects to assess river basins, monitor and forecast water resources, support irrigation systems and introduce new technologies, as well as train farmers in climate-resilient crops and management methods," Best added.