THE UNCLAIMED "FOOD OF THE GODS"

As the peak of oil extraction in Azerbaijan approaches, the problem of developing the non-oil sector of the economy is becoming more and more pertinent. As we know, the peak will be followed by decline, and we should compensate by increasing revenues from other spheres. In theory, we have no special problems here: the agrarian sector alone, if we make 100 per cent use of its potential, is capable of maintaining the country. However, there are so many problems that need to be solved on the way to this 100 per cent that it sometimes seems unattainable.

Everything grows in Azerbaijan - from grain to exotic fruits, including the persimmon, of which we will talk below. The problems facing businessmen who decide to cultivate and export this fruit are typical of many horticultural farms, although a solution to these problems would supplement the state treasury with currency that does not "smell" of oil and gas.

"Orange tomato"

Persimmon is the food of the gods. This is what the name of this fruit - diaspyros - means in Latin. Europeans considered this fruit to be inedible for a long time until American Indians explained to them that persimmon should not be eaten before the first frost. The na?ve Europeans thought that frost improved the taste of this fruit, but the Indians only meant that the "orange tomato" becomes fully ripe in October or November. "The viscous taste of persimmon is explained by the great concentration of tannin during the period of ripening," says the director of the scientific-agrarian centre of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Agriculture and master of science in biology, Asad Musayev. "The tannin disappears when the fruit is fully ripe. Incidentally, dried persimmon is very tasty as it loses its viscosity completely after drying."

In 1855, US admiral Matthew Perry discovered Japan, a country which had spent 200 years in isolation. On his return to the USA, he showed everyone a persimmon, which is now known throughout the world as a Japanese or oriental fruit. Incidentally, the unripe, sticky persimmon is used in the making of sake in Japan. Its fried seeds can even replace coffee.

There are about 500 types of persimmon in the world. Most of them grow in tropical climates, and only few of them can thrive in a moderate climate. China is the homeland of the best known persimmon, kaki. There is also the black persimmon or black sapote, grown in Mexico. It is different from other kinds because of its green peel and a pulp which is practically black when it is totally ripe. A type of persimmon called mabolo grows in the Philippines. It looks like a velvet apple. The ripe mabolo is a bright red colour.

Persimmon is successfully cultivated in Japan, China, the Himalayas, northern India, northern Vietnam, the Philippines, Australia, France, the Caucasus and other regions.

We have persimmons, but no market

In Azerbaijan, the persimmon grows in 46 cities and districts, including Baku, Ganca and Sumqayit. In recent years, persimmon production has grown considerably. According to the State Statistics Committee, in 2006, 124,485 tons of persimmons were grown in the republic's orchards over an area of 6,595 ha with an average harvest of 250.7 quintals. About 130,000 tons of persimmons were harvested in 2007.

As we can see, the harvest is quite good, but farmers find it extremely difficult to sell it. It even reached the point where they had to feed the fruit, grown after much effort, to cattle. The fact is that there are very few processing factories in Azerbaijan ready to buy the fruit from growers. We have a harvest, but no-one actually wants to buy it. Commenting on the situation, the deputy head of the Balakan district executive authority, Mehpara Nuriyeva, said that in order to solve this problem in 2008, it is planned to open a storage facility and persimmon processing factory in Balakan. Since persimmons are used in making confectionery, the construction of a factory to process the fruit promises to be quite profitable.

"Indeed, this year yielded a good fruit harvest," said Sabir Valiyev, an official of the Ministry of Agriculture. "Our farmers have grown more persimmons than we expected. And, as always, we have a problem - where can we sell the product? I would personally advise growers to take an active part in fairs held in Baku and other cities of the republic."

At the same time, farmers themselves say that the domestic market is not capable of absorbing the whole volume of the product on offer. Thus it is necessary to export it. There is high demand for persimmon in neighbouring Russia, Ukraine and other northern countries. Even high-ranking members of these countries' governments openly "declare their love" for our persimmon during their visits to Baku. But… the hike in prices for fuel and lubricants has automatically increased the expense involved in transporting the fruit to CIS countries, especially the Russian Federation.

Delivery with guarantee

Persimmon is a perishable fruit, which means that transportation requires a special approach or there will be loss instead of profit. Recently, one businessman from Samkir loaded a whole railway wagon with persimmons and sent it to Yekaterinburg. When the workers unloaded the wagon, they discovered that the fruit had frozen. The businessman lost 15,000 dollars. Clearly such events have a deterrent effect on businessmen.

Meanwhile, attempts have been made for several years to solve the problem of delivering perishable products from Azerbaijan to the Russian market but, as we said above, there is still no tangible progress. According to officials both in Russia and Azerbaijan, one way forward could be the minimizing of the number of stops made by trains carrying such cargo, i.e. reducing the number of bureaucratic obstacles at customs and border checkpoints and so on. It would also be beneficial to set up storage facilities in Russia so that a businessman who arrives with cargo does not spend several more days looking for a middleman. In Azerbaijan, it is necessary to build warehouses for storing perishable products.

It seems so easy. During the latest session of the Azerbaijani-Moscow intergovernmental commission, the Russian side promised to solve the first problem as soon as possible. For its part, the Azerbaijani Investment Company announced plans to build several warehouses for fruit and vegetables in different regions of Azerbaijan and one large, universal warehouse near Baku, in 2008. 

Of course, growers also hope that the government will help them to carry their products by road and set up processing factories. This needs to be done quickly - before the province loses its interest in cultivating the persimmon, as has been the case with many other agricultural products. Otherwise, it will become exotic not just for Russians, but also for Azerbai-janis.