The 15th anniversary of the Azerbaijan exhibition "Caspian Agro" took place from 18 to 20 May. Also, the 27th Azerbaijan International Food Industry Exhibition "InterFood Azerbaijan" took place last week. The show attracted many visitors as the Azerbaijan market is one of the most rapidly developing markets in the region.
Last year a group of researchers published a market report on the Azerbaijan greenhouse market, concluding that the Republic of Azerbaijan has all the conditions, both natural and socio-economic, for the development of horticulture.
They said the country has huge export potential, with mainly Russia and Europe as target markets. "Turkey and Iran, the western and southern neighbors of the country, are large producers of vegetables themselves. As for the Russian market, Azerbaijan mainly supplies greenhouse vegetables there. Although the total import of vegetables to Russia has been decreasing over the last 3–4 years, the share of Azerbaijan vegetables supplied to the country is growing", they concluded. And there's more: The government of the Republic created favorable economic conditions for agricultural producers. "Agricultural enterprises and farmers are exempt from taxes regardless of their turnover. They can import agricultural machinery, equipment, materials, cattle, seeds, etc., free of VAT for noncommercial use. The government provides farmers with significant state subsidies and preferential credits, creates institutes to support the entrepreneurship."
Baku exhibition
So no wonder the country is developing rapidly. There was a record number of national and regional stands at the Baku exhibition this year. The following countries presented their agricultural and food industry products: France, Netherlands, United Kingdom, United States, Germany, Italy, Turkey, Georgia, Russian Federation, Sri Lanka, and others. The Dutch and German companies were presented at their national stands as well. "Among the event visitors were the ambassadors of France, the Netherlands, Germany, Greece, and other countries," the team with Grow Group Azerbaijan shares.
The company has been active in the greenhouse industry for many years now and has seen the Azerbaijan greenhouse industry grow and develop. "This year, the accent was made on the Smart Agro products and the innovative horti and agricultural solutions such as Smart Village, Artificial Intelligence, IT services, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (Drones)," they say.
For Grow Group Azerbaijan, it was a very good show thanks to the many visitors - and more. "We concluded an agreement for the turnkey construction of 1.5 ha strawberry greenhouse during the event."
UK Pavilion
For the first time, a UK national pavilion was present at the show, where six UK agritech companies showed off their capabilities in smart farming, consultancy, sustainable water management, and plant nutrient solutions. Present were: Alvatech, Telus, Tozer Seeds, Orion Future Technology,
Dutch pavilion
In the Dutch pavilion, many suppliers were present: Signify Hortilux Schréder, Rijk Zwaan, Svensson, Ronar, and FEX BV. Click here for more photos of the Dutch pavilion.