Azerbaijan drafts new agriculture law

A new bill governing Azerbaijan’s agricultural sector has been drafted. It aims to strengthen state support, ensure food security, promote sustainable development and improve the sector’s ability to adapt to climate change.

The bill seeks to establish the legal, organizational, social and economic foundations for state regulation and support of agriculture. It focuses on sustainable development, food security and rural areas.

If adopted, the laws “On Grain,” “On Tea Growing,” “On Cotton Growing” and “On Agricultural Cooperation” would be repealed, with their relevant provisions incorporated into the new law.

The proposed amendments would also affect the Civil Code and the laws “On Credit Unions,” “On the Budget System,” “On Phytosanitary Control” and “On Organic Agriculture.” The term “agricultural subsidy” is also to be added to the law “On the Budget System.”

Crop production and plant health would be regulated in Chapter 4 of the new law. In connection with this, the bill proposes repealing certain provisions on phytosanitary services in the law “On Phytosanitary Control,” including relevant definitions and an entire chapter. A number of terms in the law “On Organic Agriculture” would also be revised.

Azerbaijan’s Agriculture Minister Majnun Mammadov has said the country needs a more productive, technologically advanced and competitive agricultural system. He said sustainable development and food security are among the sector’s priorities.

The State Program for the Development of the Production and Processing of Agricultural, Fishery and Aquaculture Products for 2026–2030, approved on May 25, 2026, identifies the sustainable development of the agricultural sector and a rapid transition to an intensive, competitive production model as key priorities.

The proposed legislation comes amid a broader policy focus on food security and the modernization of agriculture. The planned consolidation of provisions from several existing laws would bring rules on agricultural production and related areas under a new legislative framework.