TODAY.AZ / Business

Olive: Next target export market

31 October 2017 [11:26] - TODAY.AZ

By  Trend


By Amina Nazarli

Olive, rich in monounsaturated fatty acids, is called 'liquid gold' in the ancient world and today its total world production amounted to 11-12 million tons annually.

Mediterranean diet, recognized by the UNESCO heritage in 2010, characterized by rejection of bad fats in favor of olive oil, further strengthened the popularity of this product around the world.  

Led by Spain, the world's top olive producers form a ring around the Mediterranean Sea.

Although Azerbaijan does not pretend to be the top exporter of olives, but the country still wants to take its place in this market. The South Caucasus country exports olive oil, but not in the desired volume.

In 2012, the country was a leader of olive and olive oil sales in the CIS, which share in the supply of this product from the countries of the former USSR exceeded 80 percent.

During the USSR olive trees occupied an area of about 3,000 hectares, however, their number fell sharply after the boom of the “black oil” in the country.

Olive gardens became ownerless, and the flow of people from regions to the capital and their subsequent placement in Absheron led to a decrease in the total area of olive gardens. Olive orchards in Zig village became the most affected. Many trees were cut down to build private houses on these places.

The total area of olive orchards in the country today is about 1,500 hectares as of 2016, according to the Agriculture Ministry.

Indeed, in recent years, the production of olive oil and canned olive products has been slowly but surely increasing in Azerbaijan. Therefore, new olive orchards are being built through state programs.

Experts say that it is olives that can bring a huge profit to the state. With a successful scenario, 2-2.5 tons of olives can be collected from one hectare of olive grove. Establishment of olive products (canned olives, olive oil) can bring significant annual profit to the state.

Taking this as a note the country has developed a ten-year-state-programme on development of oil production in Azerbaijan.

Moreover, the National Fund for Entrepreneurship Support under the Economy Ministry has begun accepting investment projects on priority development areas of the Absheron district. It is planned to accept proposals for planting new orchards of olives. 

Today, this olive tree with 15 different varieties ranks second in Absheron Peninsula of the country after the Eldar pine, and this is due to suitable soil for its growth. Some 65 percent of all olive trees in the country grow on Absheron. Olive gardens have been growing since 1860 on the Absheron peninsula, and some planted trees are about 300 years old.

Earlier in June, Ecology and Natural Resources Minister Huseyn Bagirov informed media about plantation of more than 2,000 hectares of the country gardens with olive trees, noting that the area of olive gardens is planned to be increased to 5,000 hectares in the future. The minister noted that in this case, Azerbaijan will not have to import olive oil and other products from olives into the country.

“We are thinking of exporting these products and we will be able to cope with this in the next four-five years,” Bagirov said.

However, some experts have hesitations in this regard, explaining this by the fact that, the development of olive-growing in the country will help to cover demand in the domestic market and even export, but it is still not worth completely refusing from olive oil import.

Olive trees are found in almost all countries with subtropical climate. In Europe they are cultivated in the Mediterranean countries such as Spain, Italy, Greece, Turkey and Portugal, in Africa - in Tunisia and Morocco, in the post-Soviet space - in the Crimea, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan, in the Middle East - in Iran, Iraq and Pakistan. Every year the area of growing olives expands, since the useful properties of this plant are obvious.

The Mediterranean population traditionally consumes olives and olive oil, saturating their body with useful fats. Living beyond 90 is the norm for many Italians, and French people, who consume this divine product. Cardiovascular diseases, overweight, hypertension, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease are practically absent in the Mediterranean countries.

URL: http://www.today.az/news/business/166320.html

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