Ali Naji, head of the Main Department for Elat Nomads of Western Azerbaijan, said that the development and expansion of a small trust box for rural women has increased the economic power of nomadic women in the province.
Thus, 3 billion rials will be paid to support 25 small financial boxes in this fund. According to Ali Naji, steps are being taken to provide education for 8 boxes. So far, 15 small women’s migration boxes have been set up in the province, of which about 700 migrant women are members.
These women work in animal husbandry, local chicken farming, mushroom growing, as well as medicinal plants, folk textiles, dairy products, handicrafts, carpets and small carpet weaving. At present, the list of applicants has been announced, and when completed, the cases will be sent to Akin Bank for payment. The department official said that 104,000 people live in Western Azerbaijan as 15,599 nomadic families.
Thus, 9 percent of the country’s nomadic population is in Western Azerbaijan. About 600 families have migrated from the province, while others live in the provinces of Chaldiran, Khoy, Arab Desert, Maki, Savujbulag, Dilmagan and Sayingala. It should be noted that there are 2,670,000 hectares of pastures in the province. Nomads settled in 1,600,000 hectares of these areas.