Azerbaijan’s cotton area expanded sevenfold before shifting to higher yields
Azerbaijan expanded cotton planting from 18,700 hectares in 2015 to 132,500 hectares in 2018, before stabilizing the area at 100,000-104,000 hectares. The latest reported harvest reached 362,900 tonnes from 100,400 hectares as average yield rose to 36.1 centners per hectare.
Planting surged from a low 2015 base
Azerbaijan expanded its cotton planting area more than sevenfold between 2015 and 2018 as the government sought to revive a crop traditionally known in the country as “white gold.” In 2015, farmers planted only 18,700 hectares and harvested 35,200 tonnes, with an average yield of 18.8 centners per hectare.
The area reached 132,500 hectares in 2018, when production rose to 233,600 tonnes. That represented slightly more than seven times the acreage recorded three years earlier. The expansion also supported employment for nearly 210,000 rural residents, according to Zeynal Naghdaliyev, an aide to the president and head of the Presidential Administration’s department for territorial and organizational affairs, whose remarks were carried by Report.
Policy moved from expansion to productivity
The initial acreage drive followed instructions issued by President Ilham Aliyev in 2016. Four national meetings on cotton development were subsequently held in Sabirabad, Saatli, Barda and Baku between 2016 and 2019. Azerbaijan also adopted a state cotton development program for 2017-2022, introduced subsidy mechanisms, renewed its machinery fleet and strengthened cooperation between farmers and processing enterprises.
Other measures focused on irrigation, modern agronomic practices and the organization of production in specialized cotton-growing districts. Despite the rapid expansion, average yield in 2018 was only 17.6 centners per hectare. Naghdaliyev said the sector generated substantial rural employment but did not fully deliver the expected economic efficiency.
From 2019, the strategy placed greater emphasis on intensive growth through higher yields. Cotton planting remained within a comparatively narrow range of 100,000-104,000 hectares each year, while average yields ranged from 28 to 30.9 centners per hectare. This kept land use below the 2018 peak but raised the amount of cotton obtained from each hectare.
Latest harvest sets a productivity high
The strongest result was recorded in the latest agricultural year cited at the meeting. Farmers produced 362,900 tonnes of cotton from 100,400 hectares, while average yield increased to 36.1 centners per hectare. Production was therefore more than ten times the 2015 volume even though the planted area was about 5.4 times larger, highlighting the contribution of productivity gains alongside acreage expansion.
The figures were presented during a meeting on cotton development held under Azerbaijan’s state program for the development of agricultural, fishery and aquaculture production and processing for 2026-2030. They indicate that future growth will depend less on returning to the 2018 acreage peak and more on maintaining yields, irrigation access, machinery performance and coordination between farms and processors. For ginners and other processors, a harvest of 362,900 tonnes also raises the importance of having enough collection, storage and processing capacity. Any effect on cotton-fiber exports will depend on how much of the crop is processed domestically and on external demand; no export volumes or capacity figures were provided in the reported remarks.
