BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 25. We satisfy only 55
percent of our wheat needs, and unfortunately, this ratio is not
increasing, President Ilham Aliyev said at a meeting dedicated to agricultural issues, Trend reports.
"Thus, our self-sufficiency ratio regarding production and some
figures will be announced. Wheat production. We satisfy only 55
percent of our wheat needs, and unfortunately, this ratio is not
increasing. We are just treading water. For many years, wheat
production in our country has remained at this level, despite a
very significant impetus having been provided and many agroparks
established. I must also state that the creation of agroparks has
played a very large role in the development of agriculture. Despite
this, our wheat production and its self-sufficiency ratio have not
increased. Domestic production stands at 1,573,000 tons, while
imports are at 1,267,000 tons. Look, we must reduce these imports.
Naturally, taking into account our geography, our arable lands, and
the necessity of cultivating other agricultural products, we should
not set a goal to satisfy 100 percent of our food wheat needs
ourselves. However, in any case, 55 percent is an unacceptable
figure, and it must absolutely increase," the head of state
emphasized.
