Zaur Mikayilov: Azerbaijan's agricultural sector accounts for 70-75% of country's water consumption

Azerbaijan's agricultural sector accounts for 70-75% of the country's total water consumption, Zaur Mikayilov, chairman of the State Water Resources Agency, said at a meeting on the State Program for the Development of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Aquaculture for 2026-2030, Report informs.

According to him, this factor makes effective water resource management a key condition for the development of the agricultural sector and overall economic sustainability.

"The state program includes comprehensive measures to stimulate sustainable agricultural development and improve the reliability of water supplies. One of the priorities is the transition to an intensive farming model that generates high added value," Mikayilov said.

He also noted that approximately 72,500 agricultural producers in the Guba-Khachmaz and Absheron-Khizi economic regions are provided with irrigation water.

"The network includes more than 6,420 km of irrigation canals, 6,368 hydraulic structures, 164 subartesian wells, and 51 pumping stations. Currently, water supply to farms in the regions is uninterrupted," he added.