In 2017 Azerbaijan imported rice at the sum of $36 million, declared the Minister of Agriculture of Azerbaijan, Heydar Asadov.
According to the announcement, last year agrarians of Azerbaijan harvested 15.9 thousand tons of rice throughout the areas of 5.1 thousand ha, with the average yield at 3.11 ton/ha. The annual demand for rice in the country totals more than 40 thousand tons, and it is mainly covered by the imports.
It is estimated that by 2025 the country will have managed to meet the domestic consumption of rice with its own resources. Thus, until 2025 the forecast production of rice will total 40 thousand tons, up 2.5-fold compared with 2017, and the planted areas will increase to 10 thousand ha. (APK-Inform/Business World Magazine)