Food security is a complex of events which provide continuous, long-term and stable picture of the demand of population on food in the frame of standards of definite quality. Existing intensified demand for foods due to increasing number of population, food security, consisting quality, quantity and social-economic aspects, has increased its importance in great manner. Problems which USSR faced in 1960s and Japan faced 1973 in this field again demonstrates the problematic results of non-serious attitude on this field. Since, being one of the priorities of government’s economical policy, guarantee of food security in Azerbaijan, has always been in the center of attitude government.
After the Independence, our country gave more attention to the Food security. One of the most important target among the priority aims of Land reforms done in 1996, “Azerbaijan Republic Food Security Program” law accepted in 2001, “Social-Economical Development of Azerbaijan Republic Regions State Program” covered 2004-2008 years, and finally the law “Between 2008-2015 in Azerbaijan Republic the secure supply of food products of population state program” which is accepted in 2008, was the assurance of the security of food supply. In the last state program, until 2015, for the assurance of the food security increasing the harvest area of seedy plants up to 900K ha, productivity to 32-q/ha, gross production to 2.8 million tons, meat production to 340K tons, milk and its products to 2.4 million tons, bird meat production to 80K ton, egg production to 1.3 billion, potato production 1.12 to million tons, vegetable production to 1.72 million tons, fruit production to 800K tons, tea leaf production to 3K tons, was set as a goal. In order to achieve this goal, some subsidies had started to be given (40 AZN for every ha. of land area, additional 40 AZN for wheat producers), turnover means were separated and technical parks were built. Beside this, according to the application of modern technology in order to create 5 refrigerator-storage complex, 5 modern bread production facility, 3 poultry, 2 meat slaughter sector, investment projects are aimed to be financed with concession. Also, meeting the 70% of all fertilizer expenditures, except the agricultural taxes, being free from all taxes are important steps in this direction.
When we investigate the food security, if we glance to this issue in national level we will see that, Azerbaijan can supply itself with vegetable with 100%, with potato with 100%, with fruit-berry with 108%, with tea with 63%, wheat reserves with 50%, with bread production with 100%, with all type of meat reserves with 88%, with poultry with 71%, with egg reserves with 98%. [1]
In Azerbaijan total energy receiving has exceeded the FAO and the total daily food energy receiving norm of International Health Organization (2400-2500kkal) by increasing from 2393kcal in 2002 to 2587kcal in 2005. As a norm, for the food security in the moderate zone in the product produced in daily basis there must be approximately 100gr protein, 75gr fat and 425gr carbohydrates. [2] By comparing this statistical indication, in Azerbaijan, protein, fat and carbohydrate levels are 75,4gr, 72,8gr and 460,5gr respectively.[3]
Beside the Food Security, the competition ability of products is also important issue. In order to find the gold equilibrium between Food Security and Competition ability, by examining level of its importance for consumption, our products must be divided into 2 groups as strategic and non-strategic. After deciding the strategic and non-strategic products special program must be prepared for each of them. For strategically important products (wheat, grain, sugar, salt and etc.), first of all, sensitivity and vulnerability level must be investigated. [4] For example, level of sensitivity and vulnerability is high in the grain which has a special strategical level. Having high level of sensitivity is related to the high import level. For this reason, it is possible to decrease the level of sensitivity by decreasing its import level. Reason of having high level of vulnerability is related to the both insufficient level of local production and not having maximum level of diversified import. For this reason, increasing the local production to maximum level and diversification of import is inevitable. By increasing efficiency by the means of extensive (increasing the cropping area), intensive (increasing the productivity) and decreasing the losses will guarantee the increase of the local production. By implementing these principles to the other strategic products, their progress can be improved from the viewpoint of Food Security.
After dividing the non-strategical products to two groups as incompatible and competitive, increasing the import level of uncompetitive product and making other products to be competitive is important. In order to make these products competitive, by implementing technological innovation on them, their value chain must be deepened, by changing from raw material and semi-finished good import to finished good import economical efficiency must be improved. It is suitable to select the import cluster which is an appropriate business model for us in order to decrease the production costs and increase the economical efficiency. It can be efficient and expedient to have apple cluster in Quba, vegetable cluster in Xacmaz, pomegranate cluster in Goycay, nut cluster in Zaqatala. [5]
After ensuring the competitiveness of our products, entering to the foreign market can be set as a next target. For this, while protecting our position in old markets, implementing the principles of export similarity and trade complimentarity, entrance to the new markets must be accomplished.
In my opinion, by implementing the means and methods that are explained above, some progress can be recorded to strengthen the Food security of Azerbaijan.
Bahruz Huseynzade
Qafqaz University
[1]-Azərbaycanın Ərzaq Balansları .Azərbaycan Respublikası Dövlət Statistika Komitəsi. 2011
[2]- “Etibarlı ərzaq təhlükəsizliyi hər bir ölkənin müstəqilliyinin başlıca şərtidir.” Kənd təsərrüfatı naziri İsmət Abbasovla müsahibə. EcoVision jurnalı. 2011.
[3]-Gündəlik enerji qəbulu. http://www.azstat.org/
[4]- Robert O. Keohane. Joseph S. Nye. Power and Interdependence. 2nd edition. 1989
[5]- Vüsal Qasımlı. Azərbaycanın ixrac strategiyasının konseptual əsasları. Strateji Təhlil. Prezident yanında Strateji Araşdırmalar Mərkəzi.2011
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