Azerbaijan

Brief summary about sericulture in Azerbaijan : In 1925 in the city of Gandja , a Republican Sericulture Experimental Station was established and further was transformed into Azerbaijan Sericulture Research Institute (ASERI) in 1958. In 1989 the highest level of fresh cocoon production for all history of sericulture in Azerbaijan , namely 5924 tons were reached. During this period in the republic 3.6-4.3 tons (288000-344000 boxes) various category of silkworm eggs were produced in total annually by operated two P 3 -P 1 stations and 7 hybrid egg production factories. With the silkworm rearing/cocoon production were engaged more than 150 000 rural families. However since 1992, after the Soviet Union disintegration, the cocoons and raw silk production in Azerbaijan began to be reduced every year, and after 1996 they had practically been nearly stopped. The main reasons of such decline of sericulture and the silk industry were that after disintegration of Soviet Union, all economic relations well organized up to that time between former union republics had broken, in an occupied military zone of the country have remained large sericultural areas, nearly half year delay of fresh cocoon payment to the farmers, combined with very high inflation, energy crisis during the 1990's, resulted in cutting down a significant part of mulberry plantations. However in Azerbaijan still there are big potential opportunities and all necessary preconditions for revival and development of sericulture and the silk industry. In the country there are very favorable climatic conditions for sericulture, still existing two P 3 -P 1 egg production stations and 7 hybrid egg production factories, 80 centers for cocoon drying and storage, located in 30 areas of the republic, indefatigable interest of farmers to sericulture, presence of rich genetic resources of the silkworm and mulberry, strong support by the Government, subsidized the Sheki Ipek silk company with about 2 million US$. The main constraints for Azerbaijan sericulture revival are absence of local production of parental and hybrid silkworm eggs, lack of good links between the silkworm egg producers, cocoon producers (farmers) and raw silk producers, absence of a price policy in the field of sericulture and effective economic mechanisms of payments between the silkworm egg producers, cocoons and raw silk producers. For sericulture revival in Azerbaijan it is necessary to organize silkworm breeding system in the form of scientific-breeding association with inclusion here one P 3 -P 1 egg production station, two hybrid egg production factories and Azerbaijan Sericulture Research Institute (ASERI) as governing and coordinating agency; to organize an open joint-stock company on primary cocoon processing, with transfer to it all the property of the former regional sericultural centers, which will play a role of the intermediary between the silkworm egg producers, sericultural farmers and silk reelers; to restore old or to organize 2-3 new state nurseries for mulberry sapling production; to exempt the manufacturers of mulberry saplings, silkworm eggs, cocoons and raw silk from payment of all kinds of taxes within 5 years from the moment of the beginning of activity of the manufacturer, to give to them electric energy, natural gas, combustibles and fuel materials under the reduced tariffs, to exempt from the customs the imported of foreign countries materials, equipment and techniques for sericulture and silk processing industries, to open short-term and intermediate term demand lines of credit for sericulture farmers.

Local institutions in sericulture:

Regional Scientific Center of Sheki (RSCSh) of
National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan (ANAS), Sheki,
Azerbaijan

24 L. Abdillauev Str.

5500 Sheki

Contact person: Dr. SHUKURLU YUSIF, Director

Tel: (+994 24) 2461712; (+994 50) 6556868; (+994 55) 4993040

Fax.: (+994 24) 2461712

e-mail: yusifsh@hotmail.com; yusifsh@mail.ru