BAKU, 16 May (BelTA) – Azerbaijan intends to buy cattle from Belarus in order to support local farmers, BelTA learned from Azerbaijani Agriculture Minister Majnun Mammadov on the sidelines of negotiations between Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko and Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev in Baku.
Majnun Mammadov said: “We are considering options for importing bovine cattle from Belarus to Azerbaijan for the sake of implementing self-employment programs. There are plans to import 500 head of cattle initially. Decisions will depend on the demand later on.”
The minister explained that small farms account for 80% of Azerbaijan’s agriculture. Rural residents keep several heads of livestock and the government tries to support them. It is a way to ensure employment in the countryside. The Labor and Social Protection Ministry of Azerbaijan has adopted the relevant program.
“They buy bovine cattle and give it to farmers so that they could get milk and use the products they make,” the agriculture minister said.
