How will Azerbaijan ensure own food security?

The basic principles defined at the meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers on food security, rising prices in Azerbaijan, and the challenges ahead serve to fulfill the task of ensuring food security in the country, Deputy Executive Director of the Center for Analysis of Economic Reforms and Communications (CAERC) Ramil Huseynli told Report.

According to him, food security includes four important elements: the availability of food, access to it, the use of quality products, and the sustainable provision of food.

“Azerbaijan is constantly striving to improve its food security indicators on these four points. The 2001 Food Security Program emphasized that ensuring the right to food security is one of the important tasks of the government”.

Director of the Agricultural Research Center of the Ministry of Agriculture Firdovsi Fikratzada told Report that as a result of the steps taken by the government, food stocks will be created in the country: "Together with the state grain fund, proposals will be prepared to create new mechanisms to stimulate wheat production by farmers. Today, in general, we have a high level of self-sufficiency in most foodstuffs. We provide ourselves with meat and dairy products by 84-85%.

“With the restoration of agriculture on the liberated lands, these figures will also increase and amount to 98-99%. We provide ourselves with potatoes by more than 90%. In the medium term, the level self-sufficiency in potatoes will also reach almost 100%. Only wheat remains low. Increasing productivity is also one of the key issues to increase its production. Both the country's food reserves will be created and local production rates will increase."