Interview with Zaur Rasulov, member of the Supervisory Board of CARCAS - Center of Agricultural Researches of the Caspian Region:
- Mr. Rasulov, how do you assess the role of CARCAS in the modern agrarian policy of the region?
- The Center of Agricultural Researches of the Caspian Region — CARCAS — plays an important and strategically balanced role in the agrarian agenda not only of Azerbaijan but of the entire Caspian region. Essentially, it is a platform that unites science, government institutions, and the private sector to jointly address key challenges such as food security, increasing crop yields, implementing modern technologies, and environmental sustainability.
We see CARCAS as a kind of bridge between agrarian science and the real needs of agricultural production. In this context, our cooperation with the research institutes of the Ministry of Agriculture is especially important. These connections are already producing practical results today: whether it is creating quality planting material, developing adaptive crop varieties, or improving agritechnologies in light of climate change.
CARCAS also actively works on strengthening the national agro-industrial chain system. This concerns both domestic production in particular, close cooperation with mineral fertilizer suppliers such as AzChemCo and foreign economic directions, including the export and import of agricultural products. We strive to make Azerbaijan’s agricultural sector more resilient, competitive, and independent from external risks.
In this sense, CARCAS is not merely a research organization. It is a point of consolidation for the efforts of different players: agrarian scientists, farmers, entrepreneurs, and government institutions. And, in my opinion, this is where its unique and increasingly prominent role in the region’s agrarian policy lies.
- Which scientific institutions do you collaborate with most closely?
- For CARCAS, scientific collaboration is not merely a formality but the foundation of all our activities. We are convinced that without a strong alliance with specialized research institutes, the sustainable development of the agrarian sector, accurate risk forecasting, and the implementation of modern solutions on the ground are impossible.
First and foremost, we work closely with key structures of the Ministry of Agriculture of Azerbaijan - the Institutes of Pomology and Tea Growing, the Institutes of Vegetable Growing and Animal Husbandry, as well as scientists from soil science and agrochemistry laboratories. Together with them, we carry out both scientific-practical projects and expert platforms for knowledge exchange between researchers and farmers.
For example, in the area of planting material, we are developing sustainable seedling production models with colleagues from the Institute of Pomology and Tea Growing that are adapted to local climatic conditions.
This is directly related to the country’s food security. We are implementing a joint project to establish a nursery with 400,000 seedlings, which is about 10% of Azerbaijan’s seedlings import. With scientists working in the agrochemical laboratories of the institutes, we discuss the introduction of a rational approach to fertilizers and soil fertility management - in close cooperation with private fertilizer producers such as AzChemCo.
It is worth highlighting that AzChemCo is the founder of national standards for liquid mineral fertilizers and its products can replace similar imported products. The company produces 17 types of liquid and 2 types of water-soluble fertilizers, all meeting standards and characterized by high quality. Importantly, these relationships are not limited to bureaucratic formalities. This is a living, active interaction. We frequently hold joint sessions, field demonstrations, and prepare analytical reports.
In other words, scientific institutes and the private sector are not just CARCAS partners. They are part of a unified intellectual ecosystem where solutions for Azerbaijan’s future agrarian development are formed.
- Food security is one of the central topics. How does CARCAS contribute to this area?
- You are absolutely right: today, food security is no longer just an agrarian agenda but part of national security as a whole. CARCAS clearly recognizes its responsibility in this area.
Our contribution is multifaceted. First, we consider food security not only as the availability of products but as the presence of quality, accessible, and sustainable agricultural production - from seed to store shelf. In this context, a crucial direction of our work is supporting local production of planting material, especially seedlings.
Currently, Azerbaijan, like many other countries, heavily depends on imported planting material. This creates strategic vulnerabilities. That is why CARCAS has initiated joint projects with the specialized research institutes of the Ministry of Agriculture and the private sector aimed at developing breeding and creating conditions for large-scale reproduction of quality material locally.
The second important direction is supporting scientifically based agricultural production. We actively develop recommendations for farmers and agricultural cooperatives on sustainable agrotechnologies that increase yields without harming soils and ecosystems. This is especially relevant under changing climate conditions and limited water resources.
Special attention is given to the supply of mineral fertilizers critical for stable harvests. Here, we closely cooperate with private companies - in particular AzChemCo, which, amid global supply chain instability, is ready to take on the mission of reliably supplying the domestic agricultural sector with quality products. This is also an element of food security - ensuring internal independence from external risks.
Finally, CARCAS acts as an analytical center that helps the government identify threats and forecast shortages. We conduct research, prepare reports, and participate in expert discussions. All this combined allows us to be not just observers but active participants in strengthening the country’s food security.
Thus, CARCAS operates at the intersection of science, production, and strategy - and this is what enables us to make a real, systemic contribution to one of the main directions of state policy.
- Let’s address the environmental agenda. Is this also within CARCAS’s mandate?
- Certainly. Environmental sustainability is one of the key elements of our mandate. We start from the premise that it is impossible to talk about modern agrarian policy without considering issues of ecology, climate change, depletion of natural resources, and soil degradation.
CARCAS views the environmental agenda not as a parallel issue, but as an integral part of every agricultural project. We actively promote principles of sustainable land use, agroecology, rational water use, and biodiversity conservation. Together with our partners, we initiate research on adapting agriculture to climate change, implementing sustainable technologies, and reducing the carbon footprint of the agrarian sector.
Moreover, we advocate for environmentally responsible production: agrochemicals should be precisely dosed, fertilizers of high quality, and soil interventions minimally destructive. This means that every CARCAS project is evaluated not only for its effectiveness but also for its environmental impact.
In the future, we plan to intensify CARCAS’s involvement in developing national standards for ecological farming, including through pilot farms and demonstration projects. In this way, we are laying the foundation for sustainability to become not the exception, but the norm across the sector.
- What is the role of the private sector in this process?
- The private sector is an integral and, moreover, critically important participant in the agrarian ecosystem, especially under conditions of global instability. While previously scientific centers and ministries mainly worked vertically, today we are building horizontal partnerships where business is not just an executor but a full-fledged strategic partner.
A vivid example is our cooperation with AzChemCo, one of the key mineral fertilizer producers in the country. In conditions where global markets face shortages and instability in agrochemical supplies, such companies play a stabilizing role. AzChemCo not only supplies products but also participates in joint programs to increase farmers’ agrochemical literacy, fertilizer testing, and development of balanced nutrition schemes for various crops.
We also collaborate with nurseries, processing enterprises, exporters, and agrotechnological startups. CARCAS acts as a connecting link that helps establish dialogue between business and science and involves the private sector in long-term projects aimed at enhancing the competitiveness of domestic agriculture.
Thus, the private sector is not merely a resource but a full carrier of expertise, initiative, and sustainability. Our task is not only to attract business but also to help it become technological, ethical, and strategically oriented.
- What steps are being taken to synchronize efforts between the government, science, and business?
- This is one of the most important directions of CARCAS’s work. We are convinced that no decision in the agrarian field will be effective if it does not simultaneously rely on scientific data, state support, and business readiness for implementation. Therefore, CARCAS was conceived and operates as a platform of triple partnership — “science–authority–production.”
First, we initiate joint strategic sessions where representatives of research institutes, relevant departments of the Ministry of Agriculture, farmers’ associations, and private companies gather around one table. The goal is to build a common understanding of priorities and synchronize actions.
Second, we participate in preparing memorandums and cooperation programs that define the roles of each participant: who is responsible for science, scaling, implementation, and financing. This helps avoid fragmentation and duplication of efforts.
Third, CARCAS launches experimental and demonstration projects where scientific ideas are tested in field conditions with business participation and then scaled at the state level. This approach minimizes risks and helps form a substantiated agrarian policy.
Finally, we place special emphasis on analytics and monitoring — elements that help all participants see the picture dynamically and adjust the course.
All these are steps toward forming a unified, interconnected, and sustainable system from the agrarian sector, in which all stakeholders act coherently and strategically.