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Ambassador Bryza Meets Pomegranate Farmers in Goychay region

22 July 2011 14:14 (UTC +04:00)

His visit underscored the continued support for the sector from the highest levels.

The Ambassador began his visit with a tour of the production and cold storage facilities of â€œAznarâ€, one of the largest processors in the region. Aznar receives technical assistance from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the development agency of the U.S. government. The ambassador then met with a local wholesale buyer and toured a local farmerâ€™s pomegranate orchard.

â€œThe United States is committed to assisting Azerbaijan diversify its economy and the agricultural sector, particularly in pomegranate production, is one area where we have very effective collaboration. USAID assistance is helping the pomegranate sector contribute significantly to the growth of the economy and rural peopleâ€™s well-beingâ€, Bryza said.

He also emphasized that USAID will continue to support improvements in competitiveness of the sector, including training in good agricultural practices, input supply, cold storage management, post-harvest care and marketing of the products. The Ambassador noted that improving yields will lead not only to increased sales and profits, it will also help create critically important, high-paying jobs in the agribusiness sector. The Ambassador assured the group that the USAID technical consultants will continue to work with the sectorâ€™s leading players to find new and dynamic markets in an ongoing effort to continue to grow this important sector.

The hosts of the visit as well as the regional government representatives present also expressed their appreciation for USAIDâ€™s continuous support for the development of agribusiness under its Azerbaijani Competitiveness and Trade program.