Azerbaijan plans to increase cotton production nearly 40%

BAKU. May 26 (Interfax) - Azerbaijan's annual cotton production should rise to 500,000 tonnes, from just over 360,000 tonnes harvested in 2025, President Ilham Aliyev said at a meeting on agricultural issues.

"Cotton productivity previously stood at only 1 tonne per hectare, but as a result of the work carried out, it has now reached 3.6 tonnes. This is the highest result across all periods, including the Soviet era. However, the goal is to harvest at least 5 tonnes per hectare. In that case, 500,000 tonnes of cotton could be produced from the 100,000 hectares allocated for cotton cultivation," Aliyev said.

This, cotton production should rise 39%.

"Of course, we are also looking into the subsequent processing of this. Yarn, and then finished products-the goal must be to ensure that we do not export raw cotton fiber, but instead produce and export finished products. Work is already underway in this direction. New factories must be established, and I invite investors to join this effort," Aliyev said.

Aliyev said water supply and irrigation were among the most important tasks for the agricultural sector to address Projects currently being implemented will supply water to 200,000-300,000 hectares of land. "However, a modern irrigation network must be established on these lands. Modern irrigation systems are currently applied on 130,000 hectares, which has also been made possible through state support. The goal is to increase this to 300,000 hectares. If modern irrigation systems are introduced across 300,000 hectares," he said.