Significant increase in the production of honey has been observed in Azerbaijan since the Agriculture Ministry granted subsidies to Azerbaijani beekeepers, Head of the Azerbaijan Beekeepers Association Badraddin Hasratov declared.
He said that there had been an increase in the number of apiaries among amateur beekeepers. For this year, it is planned to increase production to 5,000 tons of honey, or by 66.7% YoY. He noted that 3,000 tons of honey were produced last year.
Hasratov added that negotiations were underway with various countries to study the foreign market. The association is more focused on Arab countries, such as the UAE, in particular Dubai, and Kuwait, he said. In 2018, 8 tons of honey were exported to Japan. In order to expand exports, negotiations are underway with several Japanese companies.
In order to increase production and product quality, the association conducts various seminars and trainings in all Azerbaijani districts involved in the field of beekeeping, he said.
An international conference is expected to be held, and experts from leading countries engaged in this industry will be invited to this conference. The groups of the association created in Facebook helped to improve and strengthen business relations with both local and foreign specialists. While in 2017-2018, about 300,000 families were employed in the beekeeping industry in Azerbaijan, this year their number has already exceeded 500,000, he noted.
The head of the association added that the main goal was to reduce the dependence of the market on foreign competitors (Georgia, Ukraine, Russia, Turkey, Iran) by increasing local production. As a result, prices are expected to decline, and this will increase the competitiveness of Azerbaijani beekeepers in the domestic market and in importing countries, he said. (Trend/Business World Magazine)