Baku: Work is being carried out to establish 24 agroparks on an area of 66.3 thousand hectares in 22 districts of Azerbaijan, Seymur Adig¶z?lov, Chairman of the Board of the Agency for the Development of Economic Zones said, APA-Economics reports.
According to Azeri-Press News Agency, 23 agroparks have already started operating, and construction and installation work are ongoing at 1 agropark. Six of the agroparks have been specialized in livestock, six in fruit farming, 11 in crop farming, and one in sorting, packaging, and logistics. The total draft value of the agroparks amounts to AZN 1.1 billion, with AZN 0.9 billion already invested through private investment. Additionally, state support totaling AZN 158.9 million has been provided to establish or expand the agroparks. The Entrepreneurship Development Fund has allocated AZN 142.4 million in concessional loans for the establishment of 16 agroparks. Seventeen agroparks that have received investment promotion documents have obtained discounts worth AZN 16.5 million for the import of machinery, technological equipment, and installations.
A total of 3,720 people have been permanently employed in the registered agroparks, and 4,878 people have been involved in seasonal work. In the next phase, the creation of more than 1,600 permanent jobs is planned. In 2024, of 42.5 thousand hectares of land involved in crop rotation, 35.7 thousand hectares are irrigated, and modern irrigation systems have been installed in 26 thousand hectares, accounting for 73% of the area.
In the agroparks, production for 2024 includes 34.1 thousand tons of wheat, 25.5 thousand tons of barley, 91.8 thousand tons of grain and silage corn, 49.7 thousand tons of sugar beet, 22.4 thousand tons of cotton, 17.3 thousand tons of potatoes, 11.6 thousand tons of alfalfa, 1.1 thousand tons of soybeans, 3.5 thousand tons of vegetables, 14 thousand tons of compound feed, while 18.1 thousand tons of mixed fruits have been harvested, and 606 thousand seedlings have been planted. The total value of agricultural products produced in the agroparks amounts to AZN 150 million. In the six livestock-specialized agroparks, 32.4 thousand tons of milk and 1.3 thousand tons of meat have been produced.