Stagnation of Azerbaijan's Crop Production

Azerbaijan is home to nine of the world's eleven climate zones that provide the perfect environment for the cultivation of a wide variety of agricultural products. Fruits, vegetables, juices and nuts produced or raised in Azerbaijan are competitive in international markets. Some of these products include pomegranate, pineapple guava, grape juice, olives, tomatoes, cotton, tobacco, berries and hazelnuts. Agriculture is the second largest sector of Azerbaijan's economy and is dominated by two areas: crop production and livestock. In the late 1980s, Azerbaijan was one of the leading republics in the Soviet Union that exported raw cotton, tobacco, cognac, vegetables and canned fruits. At that time, there were 120 factories that processed grapes. In addition, there were 10 wine-making plants, 54 canning factories, 19 cotton processing operations, 16 tea production facilities and one cigarette factory. Some of these enterprises have been successfully renovated and privatized. But the majority of them have halted their operations and require investment to restart their operations. The real problem is lack of government funds to invest in agriculture infrastructure and to support cooperatives producing fruits and vegetables that restarted after collapse of Soviet Union in the beginning of 90's.