(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 24. The Azerbaijan
Small and Medium Business Development Agency (SMBDA) has always
supported restaurants in the country and work in this direction
continues, SMBDA Board Chairman Orkhan Mammadov said at the
National culinary congress held in Baku on October 24, reports.
According to Mammadov, national cuisine is one of the main
components of material culture. The history of Azerbaijani national
cuisine is as ancient as the history of the Azerbaijani people.
Azerbaijani dishes are known all over the world for their high
taste qualities.
He noted that the establishment of close cooperation with civil
society institutions is one of the main activities of the
agency.
'A number of public organizations are represented in the Public
Council under the SMBDA. They are directly involved in the process
of developing new legislative acts in the field of nutrition,
creating new mechanisms to stimulate the development of SMEs and
their associations operating in this area,” the official also said.
“The role of associations in activities to involve entrepreneurs in
this process is undeniable. The Azerbaijan Culinary Specialists
Association, registered in 2019, is a very active public
association and is engaged in activities aimed at developing the
culinary sector in the country.”
Mammadov also noted the EU-funded 'Improved Promotion and
Marketing of Traditional Foods' technical assistance project, which
was implemented in cooperation with the Ministry of Economy and the
SMBDA since from 2019.
“The project has been implemented in Ganja-Dashkasan,
Gazakh-Tovuz, Guba-Khachmaz, Central Aran, Mil-Mughan and
Shirvan-Salyan economic regions. Under the project, legislation
affecting the promotion and marketing of traditional agricultural
and food products was analyzed, recommendations were prepared,
trainings, seminars and round tables were organized for target
groups,” he explained.
Besides, as the board chairman noted, within the project
educational material on healthy eating and nutrition of
schoolchildren and the public, and a 'Traditional Azerbaijani food
products, nutrition and healthy eating' curriculum for students
were developed, 10 types of traditional food products were
identified and measures were taken to promote them.
According to him, in order to increase sales of traditional food
products, bring them to foreign markets and increase awareness,
it's necessary to widely promote these products at the national and
international levels, pursue a systematic marketing policy, and
strengthen marketing activities among manufacturers.
The work carried out by the Azerbaijan Culinary Specialists
Association is very important in this direction. The agency
supports SMEs working in this direction through various services
and mechanisms, Mammadov further said.
'The agency organizes special stands for SMEs at various local,
and international exhibitions and festivals, giving them the
opportunity to demonstrate their products free of charge. Besides,
the mechanism for supporting domestic market research can also be
used in the restaurant business,” he pointed out.
“I hope that the congress organized today will play a special
role in developing cooperation between local enterprises,
especially micro and small businesses operating in this area, and
the public catering sector,' added the board chairman.