Azer Bayramov: Processing is key priority in agriculture

The main priority in agriculture is the processing, Deputy Minister of Economy Azer Bayramov said at the 5th Agribusiness Development Forum held within the framework of Caspian Agro Week in Baku, Report informs.

According to him, against the backdrop of limited land and water resources, there should be a professional approach to this field and accessibility to resources should be increased: "Here, of course, the expansion of the agrarian insurance system, risk mapping, and insurance coverage will create conditions for farmers to sustainably benefit from state support. At the same time, supporting the cooperation model can systematically solve the problems of small producers regarding scale and market access."

The deputy minister also touched upon the importance of deepening the value-added chain: "We believe that another priority direction is the deepening of this value chain. The main value-adding direction is the processing process. We believe that the deepening of processing of products such as meat, dairy, fruits and vegetables, and grapes, and the formation of a cluster-based production-processing chain can directly contribute to both productivity, export revenues, and the development of our regions. Here, the expansion of the cold storage and grain elevator network, the improvement of milk collection infrastructure are important components of this work, and at the same time, the placement of this infrastructure must be planned in accordance with the production geography, logistics routes, and prospective export channels."