Baku, November 16, AZETAC

A series of trainings within the project “Catalysing the efficiency and sustainability of Azerbaijan’s hazelnut sector” has been started in Gakh, Zagatala and Balakan districts contributing most to domestic hazelnut production.

Trainings, including practical sessions, are aimed to deliver the best agriculture practices and innovations to farmers in order to improve hazelnut’s quality and its production in Azerbaijan.

An instructor of the trainings, Huseyn Idrisov will conduct trainings for next six weeks in Gakh every Wednesday, in Zagatala - every Thursday and in Balakan - every Friday.

The course covers following topics - “Good agriculture practices (GAP): Main Principles and the Concept”, “Planting orchards and managing soil fertility in hazelnut sector”, “Fertilization and composting”, “Tree architecture management”, “Measures to combat aflatoxins and aflatoxin contamination”, Integrated Pest Management (IPM), “Harvesting, drying and cleaning of hazelnuts”, “Packaging, storage and transportation of hazelnuts”, “Quality and quality standards, track record in hazelnut production”, “Organic agriculture and organic hazelnut production”.

The trainings are organized in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture. Farmers who would like to participate in next trainings can approach regional State Agrarian Development Centers.

The project “Catalysing the efficiency and sustainability of Azerbaijan’s hazelnut sector” (HAZER) is implemented within the FAO-Azerbaijan Partnership Programme and aims to empower smallholder farmers to adopt good agricultural practices for the increased production efficiency of hazelnuts, with adapted mechanization technologies and services and to increase the quality of nuts produced, with a specific focus on reducing the risk of aflatoxin contamination.