January 16 2018, 15:47 FreshPlaza

Azerbaijan: emphasis on finding new export markets

For Azerbaijan, the expansion of export opportunities for non-oil products and the identification of new export markets are at the centre of attention, reports FreshPlaza referring to Deputy Minister of Economy Sahil Babayev.
“Exporters of a number of agricultural and processing products are paid an export promotion of 3 to 6 percent,” he noted. “Also, various mechanisms are used to stimulate exports, in order to promote the "Made in Azerbaijan" brand.”
In 2017, 10 export missions were carried out, to Germany, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Qatar, Kazakhstan, Hungary, China, Russia, the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Negotiations are underway on a preferential trade agreement with Turkey, which allowed exporting a number of agricultural products (mostly fruits and vegetables) to this nation, on favourable terms.
During the first 11 months of 2017, exports of fruit and vegetable products increased by 34.6 percent, compared to the corresponding period of 2016, amounting to $ 452.7 million, Deputy Minister of Economy Sahil Babayev told Azernews. Fruits and vegetables were mainly exported to Russia, Italy, Germany, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Poland, Georgia and other countries.
“The main fruit and vegetable products exported from Azerbaijan are pure nuts, tomatoes, palm, apples, cherries, potatoes, cucumber and gherkins, onions, peaches, pomegranates, fresh grapes and so on. Regular work is being carried out to increase the export of crops,” he said.