January-June 2023, Azerbaijan’s non-oil-and-gas export increased by 21 percent or $315m, amounting to $1.8bn, Azernews reports, citing the report of the State Customs Committee.

The export of vegetables and fruits ranks in first place with $350.4m. It increased by 6.8 percent compared with the same period in 2022 and by 45 percent versus last month. The bulk of export of fruit and vegetables is made up of tomatoes with 34 percent. It is worth noting that Azerbaijan is the 12th biggest exporter in the world. Besides, the export dynamics of pomegranate differ from other items made up of vegetables and fruits by soaring four times and amounting to $8m and the export of apples increased by 80 percent. However, the export of persimmon ramped down twice and totaled $14.8m. We should underline that Azerbaijan is the second biggest persimmon exporter in the world.

The export of electricity ranks in second place with $314m among exported items. It ramped up by 8.9 fold versus the same period in 2022. It is worth noting that despite increasing month by month from January, the export of electricity almost came to a halt in June. The electricity export amounted to $313.9m in May, and it totaled $314.4m in June. Turkiye is the main electricity importer of Azerbaijan.

Plastics and products made of plastics rank in third place with $243m, which is 43 percent more. However, the export of chemical products decreased by 37 percent, amounting to $70m.

The export of cotton decreased by 50 percent and totaled $69m. We should note that the main importer of Azerbaijani cotton is Turkiye, and due to the earthquake in Turkiye, the volume of imports fell.