WATER WILL GIVE US FOOD

In recent years, the issue of food security has often become a topic of discussion in the international arena. Permanent population growth around the world, as well as the limited area of suitable farmland turn the issue of providing people with food into a global problem.

A few days ago, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) published a new report "The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture", which reflects the prospects for the development of this sphere.

The FAO points out that fisheries and aquaculture play an important role in fighting hunger and providing employment and livelihood for 12 per cent of the inhabitants of the globe. At the same time, in recent years employment in the sector has been growing more rapidly than the population of the planet, while fish consumption has almost doubled since 1960 and totalled 19 kg per capita in 2012.

The report states that currently fish accounts for almost 17 per cent of protein consumption in the world, and in some coastal and island countries this figure may exceed 70 per cent. Fisheries can meet the growing demand for food, which is observed due to the growing population of the planet, according to FAO experts.

Fish consumption is also a pressing issue for Azerbaijan, because the country has access to the Caspian Sea. The length of the coastline in Azerbaijan is about 955 km. At the same time, the Azerbaijani capital Baku, which is home to slightly more than 20 per cent of the country's population, lies on the shores of the Caspian Sea. But official statistics show that even such a favourable geographical location does not encourage people to use more seafood in their daily diet. Based on the data of the State Statistics Committee, the consumption of fish and fish products in 2005-2013 increased by 7.57 per cent and amounted to 7.1 kg per capita by the end of 2013.

However, fish consumption in Azerbaijan is much lower than in other regions of the planet. In particular, in Russia fish consumption is 22 kg per capita, in North America - 24 kg of fish and seafood, and in Europe - 21 kg. Residents of Japan, where, according to the UN, consumption accounts for 60 kg of fish per year, like seafood most of all.

As can be seen from these comparisons, Azerbaijan is significantly inferior to global figures on fish consumption, which also leads to pressure on other types of food. Stimulating public interest in fish and seafood would greatly help diversify food consumption in the country.

"Fish is very useful and can completely replace meat and meat products," says the chairman of the Centre for Sustainable Development Research, Nariman Agayev. If we compare animal meat and fish, the latter is characterized by a complete composition that prevails over the composition of meat products. The food and culinary value of edible fish parts is defined by the presence of proteins and fats, which are very useful in fish. The energy value of fish is relatively low, which allows it to rank as dietary food. However, some species of sea and river inhabitants also contain calories like ordinary meat and are even ahead of it in this indicator.

Fish meat contains up to 20 per cent of valuable protein characterized by a complete set of the most important essential amino acids. Such protein is well absorbed, which we cannot say for the proteins of animal meat. As the indicator of the value of protein is determined by the number of essential amino acids, fish protein can be regarded as very useful.

The problem, however, is not that the Azerbaijanis have no understanding of the benefits of fish. The problem is, Nariman Agayev says, that the culture of food consumption has taken shape in the country for decades: "Azerbaijanis living on the coast of the Caspian Sea and rivers, particularly in the southern regions of the country, consume more fish while the mountain dwellers prefer meat."

According to the expert, the growth of fish consumption is also prevented by the cost barrier. "In Baku there are several special shops that sell fish and fish products. But there are very few of them. In order to increase competition, it would be useful to increase their number. Competition has a positive impact on the price situation. At the same time, benefits could be applied to companies and individuals involved in the fishing industry. This would reduce the cost of fish and thus encourage its consumption," Agayev says.

The low consumption of fish in Azerbaijan has objective reasons, the chairman of the Centre for Economic and Social Development, Vuqar Bayramov, says in turn. In particular, according to him, Azerbaijan is a country with a relatively warm climate, which does not encourage fish consumption in hot summer months. "Most often we consume fish and fish products in winter or on cold days. Although one could argue here: climatic conditions in Spain are similar to those in Azerbaijan, but this does not prevent the Spaniards from eating seven times more fish (43 kg per capita). However, it is often an element of national cuisine, while here meat has prevailed historically," Bayramov said.

"In addition, it should be noted that in Azerbaijan, fish and fish products are consumed about 20 per cent more than what is stated in official statistics. In remote areas of the country and on the shores of rivers, the population is engaged in fishing and consumes fish as food. Unfortunately, this part of fishing often bypasses official statistics due to the fact that it is extremely difficult to register. But even if we take into account the unrecorded portion, fish consumption in Azerbaijan is not at the appropriate level," the expert said.

Given the current trends, the expert thinks, it will be extremely difficult to change the situation without incentives. "I also agree that measures should primarily concern the pricing policy. In addition, we should use elements of social advertising and tell the wider audience about the benefits of elements contained in fish. In this situation, it will be possible to increase its consumption by 50 per cent in the next five years, which in turn can reduce the use of meat in the diet by approximately 20 per cent," Bayramov concluded.

The drop in meat consumption will, in turn, reduce the area under cultivation for animal feed. According to the State Statistics Committee, 392.7 hectares of land were used for growing feed in 2012. Saved farmland can be used for the production of other types of crops. In short, one link may help to resolve a chain of problems to ensure the country's self-sufficiency in different foods.