Capacity of Baku’s “Village-to-City Sales Center” Expanded

The capacity of the “Village-to-City Sales Center,” established in Baku in 2020 through a collaboration between Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) and Agro Procurement and Supply JSC, affiliated with the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Azerbaijan, has been expanded. The center allows producers to directly offer agricultural products and village crops to city residents.

The sales center, set up in a tent structure covering 960 square meters next to the centrally located “Gençlik” metro station in Baku, offers agricultural and livestock products from over a hundred farmers to consumers, particularly on weekends and holidays.

In addition, beekeeping products from various regions of the country are sold to the residents of Baku at the national beekeeping and honey exhibitions, which are held annually and last for about a month.

Additional sales points established

As part of the project carried out by TİKA at the request of the Agro Procurement and Supply Joint Stock Company of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Village-to-City Sales Center was expanded by 180 m² and an additional 60 sales points were added. This expansion was undertaken to accommodate the increased demand from producer farmers, particularly during honey exhibitions and other sales events.

The sales center, now expanded to a total area of 1,140 square meters, enables more farmers to bring their products directly to urban consumers.

“Producers gained market access”

At the handover ceremony of the Village-to-City Sales Center to the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Azerbaijan, TİKA’s Coordinator in Baku Hayrettin Özçelik emphasized that TİKA supports projects that enhance the livelihoods and employment opportunities of those involved in agriculture and animal husbandry in Azerbaijan. He highlighted that the Village-to-City Sales Center, which provides small-scale producers with access to the market through an institutional framework, aligns with this mission.

The Village-to-City Sales Center, expanded through TİKA’s efforts, will connect the people of Baku with over 200 beekeepers at the National Beekeeping and Honey Exhibition, scheduled to take place from September 9 to 29, 2024.