AN ELITE SEED BANK

Development of each link in the food chain, ranging from seeds to crates, is pressing now that the aim of achieving maximum self-sufficiency in strategically important foodstuffs has been set on a state level in Azerbaijan. The first thing to be done in this case is to create a kind of foundation on which to successfully boost future production. This is why particular attention is being focused on the development of seed-growing in the state programmes and similar documents devoted to the development of the agricultural sector.

To start off with, the state has taken upon itself the monitoring of the provision of Azerbaijani farmers with quality sorts of high-yielding and drought-resistant species of seeds in the necessary volumes. In principle, this is logical, for seed-growing may be regarded as a strategic sector, since poor-quality seeds can spoil the soil for a long time to come and make it unsuitable for cultivation.

The instruction issued by President Ilham Aliyev "On setting up a state seed bank subordinated to the Ministry of Agriculture for the purposes of boosting the country's food security" may be considered the finest example of state support for this sector. The document instructs the Cabinet of Ministers to allocate the Ministry of Agriculture 10m manats to provide for the operation of a seed bank and realising the production and procurement of high-yielding seeds.

In the opinion of experts, setting up a separate seed bank and completely satisfying farmers' needs in high-quality sowing materials is very important and long overdue. For it is precisely the use of cheap grain materials by small farms and the limited quantity of mineral fertilizers that frequently leads to a failure to achieve the results expected in spite of all the efforts made. 

Thus, over the last few years the average yield from the country's wheat fields has been a maximum of 25 centners per hectare. By way of comparison, the average yield in neighbouring Kazakhstan, Russia or Ukraine is as a rule rarely less than 35-40 centners per hectare. If you take a close look at the statistics for the years with the best harvests in Azerbaijan, you can see that today local producers are already in a position to provide for something like four-fifths of the country's demand for grain and fodder. There is sufficient arable land to achieve this, and the structures of the Open Joint-Stock Company "Agrolizing" are capable of providing the arable farmers with the machinery they need.

In Azerbaijan approximately 400 enterprises are seriously engaged in seed-growing. The seeds cultivated by these enterprises' arable farmers are thoroughly checked in laboratories, after which they are issued with certificates. At the same time, the seeds of uncertified grain cultures turn up on the market. Using the seeds of the latter markedly reduces the quality of the grain cultures cultivated. It should be noted that the current seed output does not satisfy the needs of the local farmers. Last year alone the 185,000 tonnes of seeds were needed. 

Experts are convinced that sowing the fields with elite seed material as well as adopting at least half of the agro-technical measures required can result in the 100-per-cent self-sufficiency in fodder and food grain. In principle, it is precisely for this reason that large specialised agricultural complexes are being set up in our country to produce elite sorts of wheat seeds, for the cultivation of which more than 200,000 hectares of land has been allocated. The first specialised farms were opened roughly three years ago in Beylaqan and Agcabadi districts and then in Imisli district.

In total today work is under way to set up 19 large farms in the regions, which have more than 30,000 hectares of land at their disposal. According to Ministry of Agriculture forecasts, the commissioning of two dozen specialized grain-growing agricultural complexes will make it possible to fully provide the local farmers with cheap seed materials and thereby boost the annual output to 3-3.5m tonnes of grain.

Moreover work is actively ongoing at the Ministry of Agriculture today to set up a seed bank, and the documents are being drawn up containing the regulations and programmes pertaining to the new structure. It is to be housed in a building with a laboratory provided with the latest equipment, grain elevators and warehouses for storing grain and other plant-growing cultures. This structure will be authorised to assume the responsibility for procuring, storing and distributing seed materials among the producers. Moreover, the seed bank will fully provide not only high-quality sorts of grain cultures, but also other types of plant-growing cultures. In the event of a poor harvest, the farmers will be able to obtain seeds from this seed bank at more affordable prices. In short, the seed bank will be able to ensure the stable provision of farms with high-quality seeds.

 No problems are envisaged in implementing these tasks, since Azerbaijan has sufficient experience in this sphere. In forming the infrastructure for this, the State Grain Fund (SGF) operating under the Azerbaijani Ministry for Emergency Situations, has already constructed approximately 10 large-capacity elevators in the country. In particular, these are operating in Naxcivan Autonomous Republic, in Ganca, in Qaradag district, in Baku itself and so forth.

"By decision of the Cabinet of Ministers of 30 December 2014, the volume of grain to be delivered for storage at the State Grain Fund elevators has been increased from 500,000 to 750,000 tonnes," Zulfuqar Mammadov, the Grain Fund's manager, stressed. "This amount will allow intervention in the domestic grain market to prevent price rises and curtail attempts at abuses in this field." The State Grain Fund head added that the wholesale price of a 50-kg sack of top-quality flour has been set at 16 manats, which will reliably safeguard stable bread prices in the country, in spite of the recent manat-devaluation-related events. 

The setting up of a seed bank will make it markedly less expensive for farmers to obtain elite grain seeds. Properly speaking, large specialized agricultural complexes concentrating on the production of elite sorts of wheat seeds are being set up in the country for these purposes.

When the seed bank has been set up, the republic's Agriculture Ministry will conduct stricter monitoring of the use of seed materials during the sowing season. According to Mohtasim Ahmadov, the head of the state service for the registration of plant sorts and monitoring of seeds, the farmers should only acquire certified seeds. Only high-quality, certified seeds can provide a good yield. This requirement not only applies to grain-cultivators, but also those who grow vegetables, potatoes, beetroot, melons and gourds.

All the above-mentioned measures taken together will in their turn help to create the basis for cultivating high-yielding sorts of food wheat, and will on the whole resolve the issue of the country's food security.