According to the Head of the Association of Pomegranate Manufacturers and Exporters, Farhad Garashov, Azerbaijan is expected to increase the production and export of pomegranates. As Garashov said, in 2018, Azerbaijan expects growth in the production and export of pomegranate by 20-25 percent compared to last year. "This year we expect the pomegranate production to reach 190,000-200,000 tons," he said.
He noted that 165,000 tons of pomegranate were produced in the country in 2017, and the export earnings for the last year amounted to $10 million. Garashov stressed that exports were to the countries of the CIS, Europe, as well as -in small volumes- to the US and Australia.
Garashov also added that the Association participates in various foreign missions, in international exhibitions: "Members of the Association have the opportunity to demonstrate their products abroad, as well as expand the export of their products."
More than 60 varieties of pomegranate are grown in Azerbaijan on an acreage of 23,000 hectares.
The varieties Gulovsha, Vesel, Shandi, Shirin and Bala Mursal are mainly cultivated in local gardens. For the further development of pomegranate production, measures to cultivate new pomegranate varieties and create new gardens are being taken.
