By Abdul Kerimkhanov

The plants for cotton processing, production of cottonseed oil and fiberless cotton seeds will be launched in Ujar region of Azerbaijan as part of measures taken to strengthen the processing industry, the article of the Minister of Agriculture Inam Karimov, published in the official press, said.

Targeted measures taken in the cotton industry will increase crop yields and return traditional fame to this sphere.

"The opening of the plants will make an important contribution to the development of this sphere, and will allow for satisfying the need for fiberless cotton seeds by means of local production," Karimov noted.

The minister noted that the current stage of agrarian reforms can be characterized as a turning point in terms of the development of traditional spheres.

He added that wiithin the framework of the adopted State programs, measures for the development of such areas as cotton growing, tobacco growing, rice growing, cocoon growing, tea growing, viticulture and citrus production were carried out systematically.

As a result, by ensuring a high level of added value and creating additional jobs in rural areas, it was possible to achieve positive dynamics in the development of export-oriented industrial-purpose sectors, the minister concluded.

These measures will not only make an important contribution to the development of the industry in the country, but will also ensure the demand for locally produced fiberless cotton seeds.

Due to the large-scale agrarian reforms carried out in Azerbaijan, growth rates in agriculture are distinguished by stability. Real growth in agricultural production in 2003-2017 as a whole amounted to 166.4 percent, including in the field of crop production - 156.7 percent, and in the livestock industry - 177.8 percent. Over the years, the real growth of the agricultural sector in Azerbaijan was above the world average, according to the World Bank.

The trend of dynamic development in the field of agriculture continued in the current year; for the first nine months, the total volume of agricultural products increased by 4.3 percent compared to the corresponding period last year, including crop production - by 5.8 percent, and production of livestock products - by 2.7 times.

The cotton industry, which was once the traditional branch of agriculture in Azerbaijan, is effectively reviving today.

Cotton production is most developed in Saatli (25,437 tons), Bilasuvar (24,234 tons), Barda (21,552 tons), Aghjabadi (19,555 tons) and Sabirabad (17,608 tons).

In early 2017, the State Program for 2017-2022 was approved with an aim of strengthening measures directed at developing this sphere. The purpose of the State Program is to develop cotton growing, increase export potential in this sphere, ensure employment of the rural population and increase the production of cotton.

The new goal of the state is to bring the cotton production up to 500,000 tons by 2022 from the current 260,000 tons.