KOBİA Advisor: Most SMEs lack skills to evaluate ecological damage they cause

Most participants in Azerbaijan's small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) ecosystem lack the skills to assess the environmental damage they cause, according to Elnur Aliyev, an advisor to the chairman of the board of the Small and Medium Business Development Agency (KOBİA).

According to Report, speaking at the Baku Climate Action Week, Aliyev emphasized that many entrepreneurs in the agricultural sector do not realize they are misusing resources, leading to soil salinization. "The majority of farmers use outdated irrigation systems," he noted, adding that modern technologies can save up to 80% of water.

Aliyev stressed that the approach to financing SMEs should differ from that of large companies, and mentioned that KOBİA is working with the Central Bank of Azerbaijan and the Asian Development Bank in this direction.