Azerbaijan poultry farmers set sights on exports

Hasanli said that gaining a foothold in foreign markets requires Azerbaijan to build new production capacities and modernise existing farms. He added that a lack of land is one of the key problems hampering the poultry industry’s growth.

“I would like the government to allow the construction of poultry farms on agricultural land found unsuitable for growing crops,” Hasanli said, expressing confidence that this would help the country expand poultry production to the level allowing export surpluses.

Egg exports perk up

Over the past few months, Azerbaijan farmers have proved their effectiveness by launching egg exports, Hasanli stated.

Since the Russian government decided to permit duty-free egg imports, Azerbaijan has delivered around 60 million eggs to its northern neighbour. In addition to selling food eggs to Russian customers, Hasanli indicated that the country has also started exporting hatching eggs, emphasising that it has never exported this product before.

Broiler segment lags behind

Last year, the production performance dynamics of the Azerbaijan poultry farms were mixed. During the first 3 quarters of 2023, the country manufactured 57,500 tonnes of poultry meat, 2.9% down compared with the previous year. Egg production, on the other hand, jumped by 27.5% to 764.5 million units.

“There is a shortage of poultry and eggs in the world, but not in Azerbaijan. The country can fully meet its demand for these products. As for egg prices, this year they have dropped by 2 qepik. The wholesale price of a table egg for markets is 14 qepik ($0.082), while abroad, in Turkey and Georgia, they are sold for 19-20 qepiks ($0.11 – $0.12),” Hasanli noted.

Much-needed subsidies

The Azerbaijan government recently took several steps aimed at giving additional development impetus to the poultry industry. Majnun Mammadov from the country’s Agricultural Ministry recently introduced state subsidies for poultry farmers to purchase equipment and components for poultry farm construction and modernisation.

The move could not have come at a better time, Hasanli emphasised, underpinning that the state aid could help the farmers grasp the opportunities offered by foreign markets. Azerbaijan farmers are primarily interested in importing more advanced technologies allowing to save water, energy and feed, the head of the poultry association indicated.