Minister: Latvia, Azerbaijan set areas of cooperation in field of agriculture

Cooperation in the field of scientific mutual cooperation within the framework of the working group on agriculture between Azerbaijan and Latvia can be considered, Latvian Minister of Agriculture Armands Krauze said in an interview with Report.

"Speaking about cooperation within this initiative, one cannot but mention the importance of scientific interaction. It's nice to see that scientists from both sides show great interest, including at the university level. This is exactly the path from which we should start implementing new technologies. For example, as part of my visit to Azerbaijan, a discussion about IT solutions for creating 'smart villages' is expected," the minister said.

According to Krauze, Latvian companies offering innovative IT solutions are also represented at the InterFood Azerbaijan and Caspian Agro exhibitions (currently taking place in Baku - ed.), "and this is of great importance for our joint efforts."

The ambassador thinks that as part of the cooperation between two countries, they should exchange experience and information on how to implement such technological solutions: "Of course, Latvia and Azerbaijan have different climatic conditions: Latvia is located in the northern part, and Azerbaijan is in the south, and therefore our agricultural crops differ. For example, in Latvia, we grow winter-hardy varieties of apples, while in Azerbaijan, pears and apricots can be successfully grown, which is impossible in our climate due to low winter temperatures. But despite these differences, there are many areas where we can cooperate. In particular, this applies to IT solutions and the introduction of new scientific achievements in agriculture."