Azerbaijan eyes boosting irrigation subsidies

The Agrarian Subsidy Council of Azerbaijan will convene to discuss increasing subsidies aimed at expanding irrigation systems in the country, on August 29, said Firudin Taghiyev, the head of the Land Use Control Department at Azerbaijan’s Agriculture Ministry, Report informs.

Taghiyev was speaking at the event titled “The Role of Water Management Systems in Climate-Resilient Agriculture: COP29 Roundtable Discussions,” Report informs.

He noted that the council annually sets subsidy rates based on the types of agricultural products produced. Taghiyev added that a key focus of the upcoming meeting will be to enhance the promotion of managed irrigation systems, which will lead to higher subsidies.

The official pointed out that last year, 19.3 million manats (over $11.3 million) in subsidies were allocated to modernize irrigation on 8,349 hectares of land using state funds.

“Meanwhile, in the first half of 2024 alone, 4.1 million manats (just over $2.4 million) were allocated to equip 1,886 hectares with modern irrigation systems,” he said.