Cotton production in Azerbaijan

Historically, cotton production in Azerbaijan has been crucial to the national economy, accounting for approximately 25% of agricultural revenue.

[1] Historical records supported by archaeological excavations have established cotton growing in Azerbaijan to the 5th and 6th centuries AD.

[3] Since the fall of the Soviet Union and independence, cotton has significantly declined in output, given that oil and grains are more profitable for Azeri farmers.

The main reason for this high cost of production is attributed to the low yield of 1.5 tonnes/ha, a legacy from the Soviet Union.

It has also been mentioned that Barda, Nakhchivan, Ganja, Shamkir and other cities in Azerbaijan exported textiles made of cotton.

The high rate of cotton production in Azerbaijan can be observed in Beylagan, Zardab, Sabirabad, Saatli, and Barda regions.

[2] In the 19th century, travelers had noted that cotton as a summer crop, locally known as ṣayfī, was sown around April and harvested in dryer regions of Azerbaijan in October.

However, it was also noted that in view of high costs of transport, unacceptable cleaning processes and unreliable packing standards have resulted in decline of its demand in the markets of Europe.

[4] Also, many firms underwent a transition into "variety mixing" such as Jekot and MKT [az] by privatized cotton cleaning plants and widening their activities to distribute the allocated seeds, fuel, fertilizers, and other necessary items.