“The issue of efficient land use. The goal here is to maximize productivity and conduct an accurate analysis of lands in order to determine which crops are more suitable for cultivation in which areas and on which plots of land,” President Ilham Aliyev made these remarks during a meeting dedicated to agricultural issues, APA reports.
“Of course, zoning issues are very important here. But I know that in some cases, the quality of land differs within different plots in the same district. Therefore, it would be wrong to say that only one product should be cultivated in a certain district and no other product should be grown. Naturally, while conducting a precise analysis for each area, its electronic version, various clarification methods, and new technologies should be used, including artificial intelligence, satellite capabilities, and field research. The territory of the country is not that large. Therefore, it will not be difficult to do this. Certain work has already been carried out. However, every plot of land suitable for cultivation should, so to speak, have its own passport. It should indicate which crop would bring the farmer greater profit. First of all, this should form the basis of our overall agricultural development and export strategy. Exports, of course, depend on markets. There are traditional markets and new ones. Therefore, this analysis should also be conducted to determine how long our products will continue to be needed in traditional markets. Relevant instructions have been given to discuss these matters with partner countries as well. For example, we export fruits, vegetables, and melons in large volumes. How long will there be demand for them in markets considered traditional for us? Because many countries are now engaged in food security issues. True, in some countries the climate does not allow for the cultivation of various fruits. However, our exports must still depend on markets. Therefore, when subsidies are allocated, these factors must certainly be taken into account — meeting domestic demand and expanding export opportunities. Subsidies must therefore be very flexible. Perhaps they should even be revised every year — both by district and by product grown. It cannot be that we allocate this amount of subsidy for a product once and continue it for 10 years. This must be a very flexible mechanism. Naturally, all relevant institutions must take this into account,” the President noted.
