Azerbaijan intends to resume horsemeat export to Kazakhstan.
Resumption of horsemeat exports to Kazakhstan will contribute to the growth of mutual trade turnover and development of trade and economic relations between two countries.
Azerbaijan first started horsemeat exports in 2016 when 1,155 horses were exported abroad. In 2017 the figure increased 6.6-fold, to 7,619.
Kazakhstan was the only source of horsemeat export back then. Azerbaijani Ministry of Agriculture has not published any data on export of horsemeat since 2018.
In 2016 and in 2017 the average export price of one carcass was $141 and $148 respectively. The Ministry of Agriculture regarded Russia and China as a prospective market for horsemeat export.
Additionally, European countries, including France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, which actively imported horsemeat, were also mentioned by the ministry. In 2016 Azerbaijan agreed to send horsemeat to Moldova, based on the agreement concluded between the companies of the two countries.
According to the official information from Ministry of Agriculture, a special committee was set up in 2016 with the aim of horsemeat export.
“Our goal is to export horses that have lost their genetic potential and are not so suitable for use,” the ministry had reported.
There are horses in Azerbaijan mainly of Karabakh and Dilboz breeds. Significant progress has been made in the association of the gene pool of these horses. (AzerNews/Business World Magazine)