FAO/GIEWS - Foodcrops & Shortages 06/01 - AZERBAIJAN (24 May)
Low irrigation water reserves following last year’s drought and below normal precipitation in the river catchment areas this winter means that the outlook for the 2001 cereal harvest remains somewhat uncertain. However, rainfall in the spring has been good and satellite imagery indicate that biomass development is better than at the corresponding time last year in the river valleys but less in the coastal areas. In 2000, cereal production increased by a third as a result of the increased area sown to winter wheat and better yields, as this crop, harvested in June/July was less affected by the drought. Emergency works carried out this winter (deepening irrigation canals, etc.) could help to maintain production levels of profitable crops. In view of the further increase in the area sown to winter grains (to 650 000 hectares including 523 000 hectares of wheat), and the planned increase in spring grain plantings bringing the aggregate area sown to grains to 712 000 hectares, the 2001 cereal harvest could increase further to about 1.6 million tonnes compared to 1.5 million in 2000, assuming normal growing conditions until the completion of the harvest.
Despite the anticipated good crop following a well above average harvest in 2000, the cereal import requirement is expected to remain fairly stable at around 700 000 tonnes, in part as urban areas are predominantly supplied by imports. In addition, grain requirement for livestock is likely to rise (in line with cattle numbers) and because farmers face import competition in the foodgrain market. The bulk of the cereal import requirements will be covered commercially, though vulnerable groups, including the internally displaced, still need targeted food assistance. WFP continues to support 485 000 beneficiaries through a 3-year Protracted Relief and Recovery Operation which started in July 1999. Total food committed for the life of the project amounts to 47 880 tonnes of food aid.