State Programme On Reliable Food Supply Of Population In The Azerbaijan Republic (2008-2015).

The State Programme On Reliable Food Supply Of Population In The Azerbaijan Republic is a national Program with a multi-sectoral approach. The timeframe of the Program is 8 years, between 2008 and 2015. The overall objective of the Program is to wholly cover the country’s demand for food products on the account of domestic production.
According to the Program, food insecurity and malnutrition will be eliminated by taking specific actions. Food security and quality will be improved to supply reliable food to the population. International standards and certification system regarding foodstuffs will enter to the national standards. Certified enterprises and organizations will be encouraged to apply food security management systems. In order to control security and quality of food according to the international standards, Central Food Laboratory will be established. Projects will be implemented to ensure the access of safe drinking water. The Program underlines actions of preparation for emergencies and establishment of state food reserve, with a twin-track approach.
In order to make agriculture more productive and sustainable, the Program addresses irrigation, land and water efficiency, cultivated plants and animal breeding. Access of agricultural producers to irrigation water will be improved. Water supply systems will be reconstructed for winter pastures. Measures will be taken to improve infrastructure of agricultural and food production. Land and water efficiency will be improved by a) mapping of eroded, salty, salinated, other lands degraded for other reasons, lands in need of amelioration, b) increasing land fertility and fields of irrigated lands, c) inventory of land resources, d) registration of cultivation areas, e) re-cultivation of polluted and degraded lands and non-used arable lands, f) involving relatively useless lands in the cones brought with mountain rivers, foothills and plains in arid zones to the agricultural production, g) implementing advanced irrigation technologies. Plant-growing will be developed by a) defining optimal cropping patterns and production volume of agricultural crops by regions and giving relevant recommendations to farmers and agro-businesses, b) encouraging production of productive and qualitative wheat seeds and meet local demand, c) taking relevant technical and other necessary actions for timely grain harvest without loss, d) rehabilitation and expansion of existing green tea plantations and fruit orchards, e) developing vine-growing and increasing production of grape brands for food, f) encouraging modern agro-technical actions, g) state protection in seed growing. Animal breeding will be developed by a) expanding artificial insemination actions in the field of cattle-breeding and transplantation, b) supporting the establishment of intensive private farms of cattle-breeding and poultry for slaughter, c) expanding cultivation fields of forage, d) support for modernisation of entities producing meat, milk and other food products, e) development of lake fishing, f) developing farm ponds for growing sazan fish variety, g) developing the breeding of many-coloured gold fish up to commodity weight in sea cages, h) development of bee keeping.
Small household farmers will be encouraged to join cooperatives. The establishment of Water Users’ Association will be expanded.
The Program enables an efficient agricultural and food system by improving food safety, international trade, technology in agricultural production, animal health, plant health, financial measures and water management systems. Control of GMOs will be increased. Sanitary-epidemiological control units will be strengthened, especially in all admission points at the borders. HACCP standards will be implemented. Actions against infringement of relative legislation on production, processing, transportation, conservation and sales of food stuff will be strengthened. Food export will be encouraged. The expansion of greenhouse system will be supported. Efficiency of veterinary services will be increased by adopting existing legislation, supporting private services, identifying and registering agriculture animals, establishing of modern veterinary units, strengthening animal protection. Efficiency of state phyto-sanitary control will also be increased by implementing actions on plant protection and quarantine, supporting the activity of private phyto-sanitary service, strengthening the state control on the quality and application of pesticides in all stages of their circulation, improving logistics of plant protection centres. Specific actions to support food production will be taken, such as: establishing private universal agrarian bank, granting credits, supporting micro-credits, improving agricultural insurances. Entrepreneurship activities in agriculture sector will be supported. Scientific research in the agrarian field will be improved. Water reserve management will also be developed to ensure efficient use of water by applying water saving techniques and technologies.
Fight against river streams and floods will continue. Measures will be taken to support food stability, such as: improving management of state reserves of wheat and other main food stuff, defining sorts and volumes of reserves for the formation of state food reserves, existing warehouses will be repaired and new warehouses will be constructed in the entities keeping food reserves.
The government institutions responsible for the implementation of the Program are Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, Ministry of Economic Development, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Industry and Energy, Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Communication and Information Technologies, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Justice, State Agency for Standardisation, Metrology and Patent, State Customs Committee, State Committee for Land and Cartography, Azerbaijan Melioration and Water Management JSC, State Committee on State Property Management, local executive power and municipalities.