The chairman of the Milli Majlis Agrarian Policy Committee Tahir Rzayev announced as he was opening the committee meeting on 1 March that the agenda dealt with the Food Security Bill to be tabled in the first reading.

The subject of food security remains a pressing one world-wide and continues posing problems for the humankind. In our country, certain steps are being taken in that regard pursuant to the decree of President Ilham Aliyev inked on 10 February 2017 and putting forth additional arrangements to streamline the food security system in the Azerbaijan Republic. The Food Security Agency has been established; the inter-governmental food security co-operation agreement has been signed with the Republic of Turkey. And, as it is being tabled today, a Bill aimed at regulation of the whole topical area has been drawn up, Mr Rzayev continued.

The committee chairman touched on the importance of the document, which, he added, would be regulating the relations concerned with safety arrangements for food and fodder products in order to protect the lives and health of humans and animals as well as consumer rights all over the territory of the Azerbaijan Republic.

Next, the chairman of the Food Security Agency Goshgar Tahmazli told the meeting participants about the state food security programme of the Azerbaijan Republic for the years 2019-2025.

Drawn up in accordance with the international topical experience and consisting of 9 chapters and 40 articles, the Bill apply to foodstuffs at pre-fabrication, fabrication and processing stages as well as to imported foodstuffs. It is also going to be applicable to the pre-fabrication, fabrication, processing, circulation, recycling and disposal of foodstuffs. As said in the Bill, the State shall regulate increasing the competitiveness and export potentials of foodstuffs and fodders of local production as well as the State shall regulate promotion of business enterprising in pre-fabrication, fabrication, processing, circulation and recycling of foodstuffs and fodders. The future law defines the State’s duties with regards to food security, the underlying principles of food security, drafting and enactment of technical regulatory legal acts on protection of consumer rights and, again, on food security. At the same time, the Bill contains certain food-product safety requirements; such requirements apply to foodstuffs, fodders, special-purpose foodstuffs as well as bioactive additives and enriched foodstuffs. Furthermore, the same document encompasses such other matters as registration and approval, certification and tracking of products within the area in question; also, the state foodstuff and fodder security control and the rights and obligations of this field’s subjects.

Comments, remarks and suggestions regarding the Bill followed from Deputy Minister of Agriculture Ilhama Gadimova, Deputy Chairman of the State Customs Committee Javad Gasimov, Head of the (Anti-monopoly) Standardisation, Technical Regulation and Certification Committee of the Ministry of Economy Ilgar Hasanov, Vice President of the Confederation of Enterprisers of Azerbaijan Vugar Zeynalov and Chairman of the Association of Horticultural Producers and Exporters Bashir Guliyev.

There were comments also by the MPs Eldar Ibrahimov, Javanshir Pashazade, Novruzali Aslanov, Emin Hajiyev, Igbal Mammadov, Azer Badamov, Mushfig Jafarov and Aydin Huseynov, and Head of the Economic Legislation Department of the Milli Majlis Staff Muhammad Bazigov. They talked about the importance of public enlightenment about safety of food products and the significance of maintaining the food security.

The committee meeting, also attended by other officials of the specialist and related state authorities, culminated in the recommendation to bring the Bill before the plenum of the Milli Majlis in the first reading.

The Press and Public Relations Department
The Milli Majlis