Azerbaijan to make domestic products competitive

The future increase of customs duties regarding a number of goods imported to Azerbaijan in the first place will lead to increased volumes of domestic production, head of State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan Aydin Aliyev told reporters in Baku Oct. 3.

"All of us give preference to agricultural and food products produced in Azerbaijan,” said Aliyev. "Simply from now on, they will be able to compete with foreign products imported to Azerbaijan at dumping prices [when manufacturers export a product to another country at a price either below the price charged in its home market or below its cost of production].”

"If Azerbaijan produces chicken meat, eggs and other foods, then why the country must pay foreign currency for frozen imported products?” said Aliyev.

He said that this initiative is aimed not only at agricultural products, but also juices, carbonated water, construction materials.

"Azerbaijan has been even exporting a variety of beverages, as well as other kinds of canned food for a long time, and I think that their imported analogues will fall under the decision regarding the increase of customs duties in the future,” Aliyev said.

"The country pays great attention to the development of non-oil sector, and this decision will contribute to the support of this development,” he added. "This will make it possible to greatly enhance abilities of domestic enterprises and increase the volume of their products.”

Aliyev noted that new customs duties may be imposed in the future, based on the results of market research.

"Initially, new customs duties were imposed on copper and copper products exported from Azerbaijan,” he said. "Now we also proposed to introduce customs duties on export of fur. There are many companies producing fur in our country, but most of them are unable to function properly, and the raw material is exported. That’s why we hope that this offer will also be accepted in the near future.”

Customs duties will be increased for two years in Azerbaijan on importing a number of goods starting from November 1, 2016.

This applies to such types of goods, as meat and edible meat by-products (fresh, chilled and frozen poultry meat), eggs, vegetables (cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, garlic), fruits and nuts (walnuts, hazelnuts, grapes, apples, pear, quince, persimmon), fruit and vegetable processing products (juices).

Customs duties will be also increased for alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages (mineral and soda water), construction materials (bentonite, gypsum, cement, clinker), articles of stone, plaster, cement, asbestos (plates, bricks, building blocks) and ceramic products.