OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS

On approval of the “State Program on rational use in Azerbaijan Republic of summer and winter pastures, meadows and preventing desertification”

Lack in the Republic of Azerbaijan of suitable lands under crop, including natural pastures and meadows, as well as the industrially prepared high qualitative food concentrates in fodder for cattle breeding leads to extreme occupancy of the areas of natural pastures, and their uncontrolled use – to erosion and salinity, casing serious damage to forest fund, water reserves of the country, in the whole, the environment.

Aiming at raising of productivity by developing cattle breeding in the country by more progressive methods, strengthening protection of summer and winter pastures, raise of rational use of them and ensuring preservation of their biodiversity, I, hereby, resolve:

1. To approve the State Program on rational use in Azerbaijan Republic of summer and winter pastures, meadows and preventing desertification (enclosed).

2. To establish that the coordinator body in realization of the Stet Program, approved by the Paragraph 1 of the executive Decree, is the Ministry of ecology and natural resources of Azerbaijan Republic.

3. Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan Republic and Ministry of ecology and natural resources of Azerbaijan Republic will resolve the tasks stemming from this Decree.

4. The Decree comes into force on the day of promulgation.

Ilham Aliyev,

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Baku, 22 May 2004