President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has viewed the activities of the agropark owned by Agro Dairy LLC in Samukh.

Under the project worth over 65 million manats and covering more than 5,000 hectares, a pump has been installed at the Garasaggal water canal, two water reservoirs for 5,400 cubic meters, water basins and reservoirs have been built. For use in the agropark, 91 units of equipment of 20 types have been purchased. In the fall of 2019, wheat was sown on an area of 2,423 hectares and barley on an area of 222 hectares. This spring, sugar beets were sown on an area of 74 hectares and there are plans to sow corn on the areas where grain will be harvested.

Executive director of Agro Dairy LLC Vahid Hajiyev informed the head of state about the activities of the agropark.

Vahid Hajiyev: Welcome to Samukh district. We welcome you on behalf of the entire Agro Dairy team. On your instructions, as part of the work being carried out in the field of creating a grain farm in our country, Agro Dairy LLC has leased 5,000 hectares of land from the state reserve fund in Samukh and 12,000 hectares of land in Tovuz district. The area of our irrigated lands in these territories is 2,000 hectares.

President Ilham Aliyev: Have water lines been extended? Do they come from the water reservoir?

Vahid Hajiyev: Yes, they have been. There is a reservoir at a distance of 13 kilometers from here. There are also non-irrigated territories. Work is now underway to irrigate these areas.

President Ilham Aliyev: Weren’t there crops here before?

Vahid Hajiyev: No, Mr President, the land was unsuitable and eroded, and there were many hollows. We improved these lands over the years. Of course, re-sowing plays a very important role.

President Ilham Aliyev: Is this the first time you have done re-sowing?

Vahid Hajiyev: No, we re-sow every year, we sow corn. Thank you very much! You have always supported us.

President Ilham Aliyev: Yes, funds have been allocated.

Vahid Hajiyev: This is very important for us.

President Ilham Aliyev: This means that anything is possible. It only takes the right approach and investment. The public and private sectors should work side by side here – just as we see it in this farm. What will be the yield this year?

Vahid Hajiyev: We have completed the reaping of barley. In Samukh district, we harvested 222 hectares and collected 47-48 quintals per hectare.

President Ilham Aliyev: This is a high indicator.

Vahid Hajiyev: In Tovuz, the harvest was 62-67 quintals per hectare, and this is only barley.

President Ilham Aliyev: What about wheat?

Vahid Hajiyev: At present, wheat is being harvested. In Samukh, we have already completed the reaping of wheat on 1,500 hectares and the average yield per hectare is 58 quintals. On some of our lands, the yield was 65-67 quintals.

President Ilham Aliyev: Very good! In large farms, the yield is higher, while in the country it is 33 quintals of wheat. This is also a good indicator. It has grown in comparison with last year, but, of course, if your productivity has reached 58-60 quintals, then this is an even higher indicator.

Vahid Hajiyev: This is our indicator only in Samukh. In Tovuz, our indicators average 78 quintals. Mr President, we have an area of 70 hectares equipped with a pivot irrigation system. In some parts of this territory, the yield is 84-85 quintals per hectare.

President Ilham Aliyev: So you have reached the level of developed European countries.

Vahid Hajiyev: Yes, the yield in Austria averages around 67 quintals and in Germany 75 quintals per hectare. We are trying to catch up with them.

President Ilham Aliyev: I know what productivity in Europe is. We should have the same, but it is a little difficult to achieve this because we have a different climate. The land in some places is unusable. Therefore, you are giving life to these lands, reviving them.

Vahid Hajiyev: Mr President, we have achieved this thanks to your support. A major role in these successes belongs to the acquired new technology.

President Ilham Aliyev: You purchased it and invested in it yourself. The private sector has made all the investments, while the state provides infrastructure support, as is the case in all other farms. Roads, electricity, water – all this is being done by the state and the rest by the private sector. So you have acquired all these combines yourself. The state provides support to all farmers and pays all subsidies, but can all farms receive 78 quintals of crops per hectare? No! Therefore, you need to share your experience. Maybe you could set up a regional training center together with the Agrarian University here or in Tovuz district. Let them come, get acquainted and gain some experience, so that it is the case everywhere. I think that this is where we have the highest productivity in Azerbaijan today.

Vahid Hajiyev: Mr President, we too are learning. We want to increase productivity. By the end of the year, we want to increase productivity in the sowing of corn and show good results. We don’t want to be complacent with the current productivity.

President Ilham Aliyev then had a conversation with foreign specialists working here, who gratefully noted that they feel very comfortable and local people were treating them well.

Then President Ilham Aliyev launched the grain harvesting and corn planting ceremonies.

The agropark where wheat, barley, sugar beets and corn are grown is fitted with state-of-the-art equipment purchased abroad. A complex of grain warehouses for 60,000 tons has been created as well. Sales are carried out domestically and a total of 89 people are provided with jobs here.