The snowfall that recently hit the southern region of Azerbaijan caused serious damage to citrus orchards in Astara.
Almost all citrus growers of the village faced the problem. Farm owners cannot make a profit this year and are in despair. “We have about 700 citrus trees in our garden. Most of them rotted this year due to heavy rainfall. It also increased the risk of product spoilage. Frost finished off the harvest. Fruit fell to the ground. Lemons, tangerines, oranges - everything was destroyed, the damage amounted to 2,000 manats - says a resident of the village, Ildirim Muradov. Usually we do not touch the fruit on the tree until we harvest and sell it in March. In addition, this year was a very low price. It doesn't even cover the cost of fertilizer."
Farmers say that since there is no cold storage on site, they are forced to store fruit at home. Citrus fruits are fruits that rot quickly if the temperature is not controlled.
The widespread cultivation of citrus crops in the region in recent years and the abundance of the harvest limited export opportunities. According to farmers, they cannot supply their products to the foreign market. This is one of the main reasons behind the problem.
It should be noted that there are 2,417 hectares of tangerine and 450 hectares of orange orchards in Astara.
