BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 8. The scope of the
agricultural insurance system in Azerbaijan is being expanded, and
along with the insurance of new products, the volume of payments
for flood and inundation losses is expected to increase, Deputy
Chairperson of the Agricultural Insurance Fund (AIF), Laman
Aliyeva-Mamishova, told Trend.


She noted that the fund currently insures agricultural products
in crop farming, livestock, and fisheries, covering 41 types of
crops, including cereals, oilseeds, industrial crops, and
legumes.


"For livestock, insurance is provided for both large and small
cattle in terms of meat and milk production. Future plans, taking
into account legislative initiatives, include insuring poultry and
beekeeping farms. Legislation on this matter has already been
proposed. Additionally, nine new plant species are expected to be
added to the list, including feijoa, kiwi, pepper, eggplant, and
others. Once the relevant regulations are adopted, insurance for
these plants will also be possible," she explained.


The deputy chairperson also spoke about insurance claims related
to flood and inundation events. According to her, the AIF has
received claims regarding damage to approximately 3,000 hectares
(7,413 acres) of crops from flooding between March 20 and today,
including around 300 claims related to insurance agreements.


"The majority of these claims are related to flooding events.
This indicates that this year, most of our insurance payouts will
be due to flood risks," she said.


She also mentioned the regions with the highest number of
claims, citing unstable weather conditions and the significant
damage to agriculture.


"According to the recent dynamics of claims, we can say that the
unstable weather has severely impacted agriculture, causing
substantial damage. The highest number of claims came from the
Guba-Khachmaz, Karabakh, Shirvan-Salyan, and Mountainous Shirvan
economic regions. Specifically, Shabran and Khachmaz districts
experienced the most damage. Flooding has affected not only crop
fields, such as barley and wheat, but also orchards—cherry, quince,
pear, almond, and others. We have received claims from farmers
regarding this damage. Some farmers reported that in certain areas,
the water level in the fields reached up to 60 centimeters," she
clarified.







Aliyeva-Mamishova also revealed when the payments for the damage
to farmers will be made.


"First, the insured farmers should contact the AIF's 1651 Call
Center and the relevant state authorities within 10 days after the
event. Regarding payments, I would like to inform you that if there
is no 100% destruction, insurance payments are usually made during
the harvesting period, as required by law. This is because natural
events may occur again during this period, and the damage to
farmers may change. Therefore, to ensure fairness, it's considered
more appropriate to make insurance payments during the harvest
period. However, if the product has been completely destroyed, the
insurance payment is made earlier," she said.


She emphasized that over the past three years, the AIF has paid
a total of 4.5 million manat ($2.65 million) in insurance claims
for flood and inundation events.


"If we look at the dynamics of the past year, the second most
frequent type of event was flooding, with hail being the first in
terms of payout volumes. In 2025, insurance payments totaling 1.2
million manat ($718,000) were made for 3,300 hectares (8,150 acres)
affected by floods. In 2023, 1.6 million manat ($940,000) was paid
for damage to 7,716 hectares (19,080 acres), and in 2024, 1.7
million manat ($1 million) was paid for 6,697 hectares (16,540
acres) affected by floods. Flooding events occur quite frequently,
and we have observed this in recent days as well," she
concluded.


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