160,000 hectares of land 'fell into disrepair last year due to water shortage', Azerbaijan's agriculture minister says

About 160,000 hectares of land fell into disrepair last year in Azerbaijan due to water shortage, Minister of Agriculture Majnun Mammadov said at the opening ceremony of the "Baku Water Week" International Conference.

"Approximately 70% of the world's water resources are used in agriculture, and Azerbaijan is no exception in this sense," the minister noted.

Azerbaijan must take seriously the challenge associated with global climate change, the minister believes.

"Azerbaijan has about 1.5 million hectares of irrigated areas, 78% of which are grown as annual crops, 9% as perennial crops and 13% as irrigated pastures," he said.

Mammadov added that about 90% of agricultural products produced in the country come from irrigated fields.