Forum Raises Development Questions for Northern Azerbaijan
USAID’s Azerbaijan Business Assistance and Development Program (ABAD), in cooperation with the local department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Economic Development, organized a business forum entitled “Prospects of Economy and Agriculture Development in the Guba-Khachmaz Economic Region” on April 10.
More than 100 people attended the event, which was the first interactive forum for local farmers, entrepreneurs and representatives from government, private business, financial institutions, and NGOs to discuss hindrances to, and potential activities for, development. The overarching aim of the forum was to establish a bridges to facilitate productive, local economic growth.
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| Group discussions during the Business Forum in Guba |
Guest speakers shared useful information with participants. Sabir Valiyev, a representative from the Ministry of Agriculture spoke about the agricultural potential in the region. Afgan Ilyasov talked about the process for obtaining credit from his organization, the National Fund to Aid Entrepreneurship. Ahmad Aliyev of the Economic Development and Support to Agricultural Projects NGO spoke of the benefits of establishing farmer unions or associations. Qafqaz Canning factory director Mehmet Ali Brechoglu spoke about meeting demand by creating sustainable supply chain linkages. Unileasing Company representative Emin Karimov shared information on how to access credit and utilize leasing as a financial tool.
The farmers and entrepreneurs participated in lively, group discussions on business development complexities and were tasked with generating suggestions for improvement, which would be shared with all the participants. Farmers spoke openly with the government and private business representatives about their frustrations and were optimistic about the potential for development and improvement. The hindrances and suggested improvements enumerated through the group discussions will be compiled and forwarded to the relevant organizations.
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