Category: KB

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

BAKU, June 3 (Xinhua) — In the small town of Gakh, 350 km northwest of Baku, Chief Engineer Manet Suleymanli was inspecting a mulberry plantation at the Gakh Sericulture Breeding Station on a foggy morning. Pointing to the trees, he said: “There are 30,000 Chinese saplings planted in 2019 growing on these three hectares. See, they are almost reaching my shoulders. In six years, we have imported 4.5 million saplings, they are planted all over the country. This is a revival.”

THIRTY YEARS OF DECLINE: FROM SOVIET GREATNESS TO OBLIVION

Azerbaijan was one of the centers of the eastern silk industry with a history of more than 1,500 years. In the 1960s and 70s, cocoon production exceeded 20 thousand tons – the second place in the USSR after Uzbekistan. In terms of quality, Azerbaijani silk was considered the best in the world and was exported to Japan, Switzerland, and Italy. But after the collapse of the USSR in the 1990s, economic ties were destroyed, collective farms disappeared, plantations were abandoned, breeds degraded, and specialists left. Akram Fataliyev, who headed the Gakh station for 40 years, recalls: “In 1986, 6,000 tons of cocoons were produced, in 2014 – only 10 tons, in 2015 – 236 kilograms. Production was disappearing.” According to him, with the decline of sericulture, he had to go into business.

CHINESE TECHNOLOGY BEARS FRUIT: “PROJECT GREEN” REVITALIZES THE INDUSTRY

The turning point came in 2016, when President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree on state support for sericulture. The “new silkworm project” began, and the first Chinese seedlings and silkworms crossed the Tien Shan and the Caspian to take root again in Azerbaijan. This became a new chapter in the cooperation between the two countries within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative. M. Suleymanli explains: “The Chinese tree has large leaves – the caterpillars love them. But the Chinese caterpillars eat little, but produce a lot of silk.”

In order to develop the industry, the “State Program for the Development of Cocoon Farming and Sericulture in the Republic of Azerbaijan for 2018-2025” was adopted in 2017. The country began actively purchasing cocoons from China, incubating them and distributing them free of charge to farmers in order to increase cocoon production to 6,000 tons per year.

The main partner is Shandong Guangtong Silkworm Eggs Co., Ltd. Li Qiliang, who worked in Gakh from 2016 to 2019, explains: “The mulberry tree bears fruit for 15-20 years, then the harvest declines. Most of the trees were inherited from the USSR – they are old. China supplies grafted seedlings of the Jisang No. 3 variety – they are resistant to diseases, heat and drought, and produce high-quality leaves.” The Chinese breed of silkworms Huakang No. 3 forms cocoons up to 1,200 meters long – this is 300-400 meters longer than local caterpillars.

GAKHSKAYA STATION OF SILKWORM BREEDING: INDEPENDENT SELECTION OF HYBRID LINES OF SILKWORMS

In 2018, cooperation between China and Azerbaijan in the field of sericulture reached a new level. With technical support from China, the breeding station in Gakh was reconstructed. President I. Aliyev and his wife attended the opening ceremony, emphasizing the importance of the project. Three Chinese specialists, including Li Qiliang, took a commemorative photo with the presidential couple.

Silkworms are the basis of sericulture. The Gakh station is the only institution in the country engaged in their breeding. Investment in its restoration was the first step towards self-sufficiency in this area. Founded in 1973, the station ceased operations in 1998, but after reconstruction it occupies five hectares, including an administrative building, a laboratory, incubation and hybrid centers.

Three hectares of mulberry plantations have been created at the station. In 2019, 30,000 Chinese seedlings resistant to the harsh climate began to grow here. That same year, research on silkworm hybridization began – for the first time in the history of Azerbaijan. According to Li Qiliang, the training was carried out strictly according to Chinese standards. Hybridization increases the resistance of silkworms to diseases and increases the yield of cocoons.

Chief Engineer M. Suleymanli said that currently “Gakh-1” and “Gakh-2” are being grown, having reached the fifth age. Soon they will begin to form cocoons, after which mating will occur to obtain a new species. Delivery of two more varieties of gren from China is expected.

In 2018, Lalazar Gaidarova, an employee of the station, completed a two-week training in China. “Chinese technologies are modern and effective. Now we do everything the same way as in China. Even the equipment was brought from there,” she shared. L. Gaidarova advocates for a regular exchange of experience with the Chinese side and sending Azerbaijani youth for internships. “Our specialists are getting older. 62-year-old Manet is the youngest. We need to prepare a replacement,” she says.

This year, the Ministry of Agriculture of Azerbaijan again imported 5,000 boxes of garnets from China, supplementing them with 1,000 boxes of local production. A total of 6,000 boxes were distributed among 40 districts and Nakhchivan. The projected harvest is 240 tons. M. Suleymanli noted that in sericulture, as in viticulture, there are lean years, and the current year is not the best.

Farmers have realized the advantages of sericulture: high profits and quick results – after 40 days the caterpillars form cocoons. Capital turnover is only two months. Now farmers in 40 of the country’s 66 regions and in Nakhchivan are engaged in sericulture. The leaders are Zardab, Fizuli, Zagatala and others.

According to Zaur Abbasov, Advisor to the Head of the Gakh District, registration of farmers begins in February. Based on applications, the Ministry of Agriculture imports the required amount of grains. By the end of April and the beginning of May, the grains are distributed among the regions. “Grans and mulberry tree seedlings are provided free of charge. The revival of sericulture is important for diversifying the economy and preserving traditions,” he noted.

To stimulate farmers, the state increased the purchase price of cocoons from three to 11 manats per kilogram, of which five is paid by the buyer and six by the state in the form of a subsidy.

There are already tangible results: 236 kg of cocoons were collected in 2015, and 643.7 tons in 2019, which provided income for more than 10,000 rural families.

Xinhua met Sahib, Azerbaijan’s champion sericulturist. In 2018, he collected one ton of cocoons from 20 boxes of geraniums, setting a record. Now he works with five boxes, expecting a 250-kilogram harvest. His sericulture workshop resembles a factory, with two-tiered racks and temperature and humidity controls. “Look, the caterpillars are sleeping. In 15 days, the cocoons will be ready. At 11 manat per kilogram, that will bring in 2,750 manat, a third of the family’s annual income,” he said. –0–