The 17th Azerbaijan International Agricultural Exhibition ("Caspian Agro") and the 29th Azerbaijan International Food Industry Exhibition ("InterFood Azerbaijan") have started their work at the Baku Expo Center.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Minister of Agriculture Majnun Mammadov said that the agrarian reforms carried out in our country strengthen the development of agriculture and for this purpose significant support measures are implemented by the state. Recalling that this year our country will host the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change - COP29, and that 2024 was declared the "Year of Solidarity for the Green World" by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Mr. Ilham Aliyev, the Minister added that at this year's exhibition, more space was allocated for the demonstration of modern agricultural production tools based on the principles of environmental protection, green energy, efficient use of resources and organic production. The minister noted that the Ministry of Agriculture is taking initiatives to minimize the effects of climate change and assess climate risks in the organization of activities.

Speaking at the event, the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Belarus, Igor Petrishenko, emphasized that relations between the two countries in the field of agriculture are intensively developing, and that his country attaches importance to cooperation in the agricultural field with Azerbaijan. Saying that 42 Belarusian companies participated in the exhibition, Igor Petrishenko pointed out that these exhibitions will further strengthen the cooperation between the business circles of both countries.

Speaking at the event, the Chairman of the Food Safety Agency, Goshgar Tahmazli, said that the reforms implemented in the field of food safety in recent years, along with other fields, have not only provided the population with safer food products, but also expanded the access of these products to international markets.

In his speech at the opening ceremony of the exhibition, the Chairman of the Board of the Small and Medium Business Development Agency (SMB) Orkhan Mammadov noted the importance of exhibitions in expanding the sales opportunities of SMEs and promoting their products and services. He said that agriculture and food industry are among the sectors where SMEs operate more. KOBIA also supports SMEs operating in these sectors within the framework of various services and mechanisms.

Alisher Shukurov, Deputy Minister of Agriculture of Uzbekistan, called the "Caspian Agro" exhibition a unique platform for the promotion of agricultural technologies and the sharing of advanced practices.

Yusif Abdullayev, the executive director of the Export and Investment Promotion Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan (AZPROMO), noted that the organization he leads ensures the participation of entrepreneurs in international exhibitions and fairs with a single country stand in the framework of stimulating non-oil exports and promoting the "Made in Azerbaijan" brand outside the country. in addition to making, organizes export and buyer missions, supports entrepreneurs in conducting market research and obtaining international certificates.

The representative of FAO in our country, Muhammad Nasar Hayat, noted that this exhibition created an opportunity to show the world the innovative work done in the agro-industrial sector of Azerbaijan. The FAO official stated that they are ready to support measures in the direction of the application of advanced practices in the agricultural field and the development of the agricultural field in our country.

Talking about the importance of the exhibition, the CEO of "ITE Group" Edward Stroon pointed out that the number of participants is increasing every year and that these exhibitions will be organized continuously.

Later, the delegation got acquainted with "Caspian Agro" and "InterFood Azerbaijan" exhibitions.

It should be noted that the exhibitions brought together about 500 companies from 38 countries. Compared to last year, there is a 10% increase in the scale of exhibitions. In general, in addition to Azerbaijan, Germany, America, Belarus, Belgium, the Czech Republic, China, South Korea, Estonia, Afghanistan, Spain, Finland, France, Georgia, India, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Israel, Sweden, Switzerland, Italy, Indonesia, Latvia, Companies from Egypt, Netherlands, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Poland, Kazakhstan, Russian Federation, Serbia, Slovakia, Thailand, Türkiye, Turkmenistan, Sri Lanka, Venezuela, Japan and Greece are participating. National groups of Germany, Republic of Belarus, Georgia, Czech Republic, Afghanistan, Italy, Kingdom of Netherlands, Korea, Poland, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Uzbekistan exhibit agricultural and food industry products at the exhibition. This year, Turkmenistan and Venezuela are participating in the exhibition for the first time. The participation of new countries in the exhibitions expands the geography and scale of international cooperation in the field of agriculture, and opens new perspectives for the exchange of experience and technologies.

At the three-day "Caspian Agro" exhibition, modern innovative technologies, techniques, and modern irrigation systems applied in agriculture are displayed. Participants can get interesting information in smart sections such as Electronic Agriculture, robotics, drones, IT services, artificial intelligence, alternative energy sources.

As every year, the organizers will organize tours of the exhibition for farmers from the regions. Within the framework of the exhibition, farmers from 42 regions of Azerbaijan will have the opportunity to get acquainted with advanced technologies and new industrial practices.

It should be noted that the "International Agrarian Innovation Forum" will be held within the framework of the "Azerbaijan International Agricultural Exhibition". Panel discussions on various fields of agriculture will be organized at the forum.

In addition, this year, for the first time, the "GreenAgroHack" hackathon competition will be held at the exhibition within the "Year of Solidarity for the Green World" organized by the Center for Agrarian Innovation. The main goal of the hackathon is to increase productivity in the agricultural sector, improve agricultural management and increase interest in this field among young people by using innovations and digital technologies.