Fruit orchards have been established for low-income families in the Shabran and Khachmaz districts.

On November 21 in Shabran and on November 22 in Khachmaz, orchards were established for low-income families through a joint initiative of the IDEA Public Union, the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

During the tree-planting campaigns, 1,000 almond trees were planted on a 2-hectare area allocated in Shabran district, and 1,248 hazelnut bushes were planted in Khachmaz district. The established orchards were distributed among low-income families living in these districts and provided for their free use. These families will have the opportunity to care for the orchards, harvest the produce, earn income, and improve their material well-being.

The pilot project for planting fruit trees was launched in April 2017 at the initiative of Leyla Aliyeva, Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, founder and head of the IDEA Public Union, and FAO Goodwill Ambassador. Within the project framework, the first orchard was established in Ismayilli, followed by orchards in Shamkir, Agstafa, Tovuz, Agdash, Gakh, Lankaran, Beylagan, Sabirabad, Aghjabadi, Barda, Lerik, Guba, Gabala, Imishli, Goygol, Gazakh, Balakan, Agsu, Oghuz, Yevlakh, and Astara districts, and provided to low-income families, including veterans of the Karabakh war and families of martyrs.

The socio-economic significance of the project lies in the fact that planting such orchards not only improves the welfare of the population but also contributes to reducing the country’s dependence on imported agricultural products.

Within the project framework, a total of 25,368 fruit trees, including hazelnut, pomegranate, apricot, feijoa, persimmon, walnut, apple, apricot, and almond varieties, have been planted, and 78 low-income families have been provided with orchards.

Tree-planting campaigns for the orchard project for low-income families will also be organized in other districts of the country in the future.

It should be noted that more than 400 local young volunteers joined the campaign for establishing orchards in Shabran and Khachmaz districts. The IDEA Public Union expresses its gratitude to all volunteers who participated in the campaign and to the organizations that supported the event.