/By AzerNews/

By Nigar Orujova

Azerbaijan has made significant progress in the area of ??food security, said Head of Analysis and Statistics Department at the Agriculture Ministry Firdovsi Fikretzade on October 15.

The comment was made at the first Azerbaijan International Conference on Sustainable development and Corporate Social Responsibility.

Today Azerbaijan is almost completely self-sufficient in basic food products, he noted.

“Today Azerbaijan is self-sufficient in beef by 87 percent, mutton by 97 percent, poultry by 98 percent. The country is completely sufficient in chicken eggs. Milk and dairy production has reached 76 percent, grain – 60 percent, butter – 52 percent, paste goods – 58 percent,” said Fikretzade.

Meanwhile, the World Bank disclosed the problems of Azerbaijani agricultural sector at the event.

One of the main problems of agriculture in Azerbaijan lately has been barriers to entry into the market, says Rufiz Chiragzade, the WB chief specialist for agribusiness, said.

He said that the main reason for the weakness of the production chain is undeveloped ties between the producers and those who recycle the products.

“In particular, the negative point is the lack of contractual arrangements between producers and processors,” he said.

According to the State Statistics Committee, the volume of agricultural production in Azerbaijan increased by 6.7 percent, in January-September 2015 compared to the same period of 2014.

In particular, crop production increased by 10.4 percent, while livestock increased by 2.5 percent.

The Baku CSR Conference-2015 is aimed at comprehensively assessing the current situation in the country, expanding dialogue and cooperation between the various agencies – private and non-governmental organizations – for the development of this sector.

The conference promotes greater dialogue in the field of corporate social responsibility between the different structures, and will be an additional impetus for further action in the field of sustainable development in Azerbaijan.

The first conference is being attended by 300 delegates and 30 speakers including representatives of the leading companies in Azerbaijan, such as SOCAR, Azercell, Access Bank, BP, EY, SAP, TeliaSonera, Temiz Shahar and XalqBank.

Representatives of various ministries and other government agencies, consulting firms, international organizations and foreign experts are also in attendance.

The main topics of discussion during the conference are the green economy, education, the sustainable development of an effective youth policy, Azerbaijan’s agricultural sector, the prerogatives for sustainable growth, food security, etc.

The conference is also accompanied by an exhibition where it will be possible to get acquainted with the organization’s activities and projects in the field of sustainable development and CSR.