First ‘Agroexpress’ From Azerbaijan to Russia to Bring Fresh Vegetables and Fruits

The first "Agroexpress" cargo train from Azerbaijan to Russia left on 12 February from Lajat station, the Russian Export Center (REC) website says. It will bring high-quality Azerbaijani fruits and vegetables, which are in great demand on the Russian market.

Agroexpress is a specialized service for the delivery of goods by accelerated trains, which allows exporters to reduce delivery times as well as transportation costs. The first cargo that left Azerbaijan for Russia in January 2022 as part of the pilot launch of the route was Azerbaijani persimmon.

“This is a successful start in the implementation of the Agroexpress project, and we see huge potential in its development. Considering the many advantages, this will not only be an alternative, but one of the most competitive routes. Of course, we will continue to work on debugging and improving processes, and we plan to carry out regular transportation in the near future. Also, active work is underway to connect the Astara station to the Agroexpress route for the transportation of goods to Russia as part of the development of the International North–South Transport Corridor (INSTC). In general, Agroexpress will contribute not only to the development of logistics and trade, but also to agricultural enterprises in our countries,” Natig Heydarov, head of Alliance Logistics LLC, said.

The Agroexpress service is a kind of synergetic model, within which we optimise the work of many participants in order to obtain the most effective tool for business. First of all, we are talking about agro-industrial complex enterprises, which belong to small and medium-sized businesses. Today, according to experts, the potential for cargo turnover along the INSTC is at a very high level, and given the ongoing containerisation and the positive dynamics of freight turnover throughout the entire railway network, it will only grow. Railway transportation of agricultural products, in comparison with other modes of transport, is profitable, fast and convenient,” Dmitry Murev, General Director of RZD Logistics JSC, said.

“The competitiveness of export goods is largely ensured by effective schemes for their transportation and distribution. The Agroexpress project achieves exactly this goal and contributes to the promotion of Russian agricultural products in foreign markets. Moreover, Agroexpress will increase the volume of export deliveries by providing high-quality logistics services using modern technologies and optimised control procedures. We see that Agroexpress in Azerbaijan is already fulfilling its task and is in demand among exporters. The development of such integrated logistics services on the ITC North-South routes in the near future will allow Russian manufacturers to expand cooperation with the countries of the Caspian Basin, the Persian Gulf and South Asia,” Azer Talybov, Chairman of the Board of Eximbank of Russia JSC, said.

Negotiations on Agroexpress were held within the framework of two extended business missions, which took place in the second half of last year under the auspices of ROSEXIMBANK with the support of the Azerbaijan-Russian Business Council.