Azerbaijan’s Minister of Agriculture, Majnun Mammadov, and his Ethiopian counterpart, Girma Amente, have agreed to enhance bilateral cooperation in agriculture.
The two ministers met on the sidelines of the second United Nations Food Systems Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to explore ways of modernizing agricultural practices and expanding trade between the two countries.
Discussions focused on implementing training programs, enhancing agricultural technology, and boosting trade.
Azerbaijan has made significant strides in modernizing its agricultural sector through initiatives like the State Programme for Food Safety (2019-2025). The program integrates digital platforms, precision agriculture technologies, and artificial intelligence into farming.
As a result, Azerbaijan’s agri-food exports reached over $1 billion in 2024, with fruit and vegetable exports exceeding $153 million in the first quarter of 2025.
In contrast, Ethiopia faces challenges like land degradation, climate-driven droughts and floods, and inadequate access to inputs and infrastructure, despite agriculture accounting for 34% of its GDP and 70% of its export earnings.
To address these challenges, Ethiopia launched national dialogues and a Food System Transformation roadmap aligned with UNFSS Action Tracks.
The partnership between Azerbaijan and Ethiopia aims to build resilience, enhance sustainability, and improve nutrition in the agricultural sector.
This cooperation comes on the heels of a previous agreement between the Dire Dawa Free Trade Zone in Ethiopia and Azerbaijan’s Alat Free Trade Zone, which seeks to boost trade and investment opportunities between the two nations.
