WB: About 34% of agricultural land in Azerbaijan not irrigated

Irrigated lands in Azerbaijan amount to 1.02 million hectares annually, while 1.54 million hectares of land needs irrigation, Report informs, citing the World Bank (WB).

According to the "Transitioning to Efficient Water Sector Institutions and Programs for Addressing Water Security Challenges" report of the bank, this indicates that approximately 34% of cultivated areas are not irrigated in the country: "The highest indicators of irrigation efficiency in Azerbaijan were recorded in the Mil-Mughan, Nakhchivan, and Shirvan-Salyan economic regions."

"In terms of water consumption, irrigated crops in Azerbaijan consume 1.56-2.63 billion cubic meters of irrigation water annually, which averages 2.33 billion cubic meters for the country.

According to the State Statistics Committee, the total volume of water received during the same period averaged 7.03 billion m3, which potentially indicates an overall water loss of approximately 67% at the country level.

Remote sensing analysis shows that the crop class requiring the most irrigation in Azerbaijan is fruit orchards, consuming an average of 4,400 cubic meters of water per hectare. Cotton and fodder crops consume an average of 3,250 cubic meters of water per hectare, while irrigated cereals (wheat or barley) consume an average of 1,320 cubic meters of water.

These indicators were formed over a 6-year observation period and based on annual averages across the country. The actual water consumption of each crop class may vary depending on location and climatic conditions. For example, orchards in arid regions of Azerbaijan may require more water than those in more humid regions," the bank emphasizes.