Agriculture and Food Industry Working Group

On October 31, 2025 Agriculture and Food Industry Working Group of AHK Azerbaijan took part in an informative visit to the Məhəmmədi Logistics Center, operated by Veysəloğlu Group of Companies.

The purpose of the visit was to gain first-hand insight into the operations of one of the largest logistics hubs in the South Caucasus and to learn more about Veysəloğlu Group’s contribution to the country’s food security, retail, and logistics sectors, as well as its efforts to support small and medium-sized enterprises. Over 20 representatives from AHK member companies participated in the tour.

The event began with welcoming remarks from Ilgar Nuri, Deputy Executive Director of Veysəloğlu Group, who introduced a specially prepared video presentation highlighting the company’s development journey, history, and future plans.
Following this, Sanubar Nazarova, Corporate Communications Director, provided an overview of several ongoing corporate projects.

Later, Anar Adilzade, Board Member and Logistics Director of “Araz” Supermarket Chain, delivered a detailed presentation on the activities of the Məhəmmədi Logistics Center. He outlined its role in the supply chain, infrastructure capabilities, and technological advantages — including temperature-controlled storage facilities, integrated SAP systems, digitalization processes, and international food safety standards. Participants also had the opportunity to engage in a Q&A session.

On January 24, 2025, the next meeting of the Agriculture and Food Working Group of the AHK Azerbaijan was held at the AHK Azerbaijan office. The focus of the meeting was on "Regulations Implemented by the Food Safety Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Import and Export Operations."

Our guest speaker, Javid Alizade, Leading Advisor of the Import and Export Operations Sector at the Import and Export Control Department of the Food Safety Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan, provided an overview in response to participants' questions, addressing a variety of key issues. These included the ongoing developments in Azerbaijan’s non-oil sector, challenges in obtaining phytosanitary certificates within the agricultural sector, restrictions on the import and export of certain chemical preparations, and delays in seed registration for cotton farming.

The lack of public awareness on these matters, as well as the impact of the limited number of consumer companies on the development of the food sector, was also mentioned. The importance of addressing gaps in the legislation, particularly regarding tariffs on imported products from foreign agricultural entities and recent amendments to food safety laws, was emphasized. It was agreed that AHK Azerbaijan would document the proposals voiced during the meeting and submit them to the relevant authorities.

On April 25, 2024, the next meeting of the AHK Azerbaijan Agriculture and Food Industry Working Group was held at the AHK Azerbaijan office to discuss the process of obtaining documents and certificates required for export and the pressing issue of the lack of skilled labour. 

Mr Tobias Baumann, who opened the meeting, welcomed the participants and introduced the speakers to the guests. He then provided the participants with information about the progress of the meeting. He then handed over the floor to Mr Anar Aghayev, the Chairperson of the Agriculture and Food Industry Working Group and the CEO of Food City Agropark LLC.

Mr Aghayev greeted the participants and provided information about the activities of the working group and the objectives of the platform. He mentioned three main areas of activity of the working group, namely research of difficulties, implementation of relevant measures, and overcoming difficulties. Mr Aghayev emphasized that the most common difficulties are related to export, bureaucratic obstacles, and access to financial resources. He also provided detailed information about certification difficulties related to exports and obtaining certificates.

He then passed the floor to Mr Shamo Muradov, the director of Incert LLC.

Mr Muradov greeted the guests and began his speech on the topic of necessary certificates and solutions for entering foreign markets. Providing information about the company, Mr. Muradov emphasized that the company's vision and mission, as well as its values, include reliability, professionalism, and honesty. He provided extensive information about the most demanded certificates such as ISO 22000, BRC, HALAL, and others, and which countries require these certificates. After providing information about the FSSC 22000 standard, Mr Muradov explained the differences between this standard and the ISO 22000 standard to the guests. He also provided extensive information to the participants about the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standard, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) standard for food safety, and the International Food Standard (IFS). At the end of his speech, he provided information about the Global G.A.P. standard for the production of agricultural products, as well as organic certification.

Mr Aghayev then gave the floor to Ms Jana Tichomirova, the project manager for Azerbaijan at the German Senior Experts Service (SES).

Ms Tichomirova provided detailed information about SES, including its structure and projects implemented in Africa, Europe, Asia, and other countries. She also noted who can work as experts for SES and emphasized that this work is voluntary. Ms Tichomirova mentioned the areas of activity of experts, including production, consultancy, medical and educational services, and the quality of labor. She noted that in 2023, projects in the agricultural sector were among the leading projects. At the end of her speech, she provided extensive information about projects in the field of agriculture and food industry in Azerbaijan.

The meeting concluded with an active question-and-answer session.

On September 19, 2024, a joint meeting of AHK Azerbaijan’s Financial Services and Agriculture and Food Industry Working Groups was held at the AHK Azerbaijan office. The main topic of the meeting was “Raising Capital through Securities.” The event was opened by Mr Ilgar Aliyev, Vice-Chairperson of the Agriculture & Food Industry Working Group, who welcomed the participants and provided information about the meeting’s agenda and topic.

The guest speaker at the meeting was Ms Anjela Ramazanova, Head of the Listing Department at the Baku Stock Exchange (BSE). After greeting the participants, she gave a comprehensive overview of the history, structure, and activities of the BSE. Ms Ramazanova also spoke about the recent rebranding process at the BSE and its new strategic plan.

AHK Azerbaijan launched the Agriculture and Food Industry Working Group, which began its activities with a kick-off meeting on 27 May 2022. The meeting was attended by more than 20 participants from member companies, state and public institutions.

Opening the meeting, Farid Isayev welcomed the participants, introduced Rufat Tabasaranskiy, Chairperson of the Agriculture and Food Working Group and noted that as the topics of agricultural production and food security were increasingly pronounced in the global markets, these issues were closely monitored and addressed. He furthermore expressed his hopes that the establishment of this platform would enable AHK Azerbaijan to contribute to these processes more actively. Following this, Tobias Baumann conveyed his appreciation to the participants and wished for a lively and fruitful exchange to identify new market opportunities in the emerging business climate.

In his speech, Rufat Tabasaranskiy briefly introduced their company, talked about the existing regulatory framework and standards in the food sector and stressed that there was room for improvement, especially in transparency. The meeting continued with a session on gathering ideas from the participants, which Rufat Tabasaranskiy moderated. During the meeting, it was agreed that the Agriculture and Food Working Working Group would focus on addressing key challenges in the regulatory framework and standards as well as investment climate in the agriculture and food sector.