Hajibaba Umudov

Thank you for your loan. It has been disbursed to Hajibaba Umudov by Norwegian Microcredit LLC (Normicro) in Azerbaijan. We are excited to watch this business grow. Over the next 12 - 14 months, Norwegian Microcredit LLC (Normicro) will be collecting repayments from this entrepreneur and posting progress updates on the Kiva website.

I caught up with Hajibaba on the outskirts of Beylagan as he was preparing to head back to his village. He was in town with his son picking up a large load of hay for his sheep. He took a quick break after loading his truck to talk to me and the NorMicro staff about his business. His loan of $1,100 was used to further expand his flock and to buy feed.

Hajibaba is originally from the Kalbajar region of Azerbaijan, but his family fled to Beylagan during the Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict in the early 1990s. (Further information on Azerbaijan’s IDPs can be found here: http://www.internal-displacement.org/countries/azerbaijan.) In Kalbajar, Hajibaba was a government-employed chauffer. Upon arriving in Beylagan region, Hajibaba began supporting his family by raising sheep for sale. Mutton and lamb are particularly popular meats in Azerbaijan, meaning that the demand for Hajibaba’s sheep is consistently high.

One adult sheep costs Hajibaba roughly 80 Azerbaijani New Manat (~ 80 US$), depending on the size of the animal. A lamb may cost approximately 60 AZN. He raises the animals, feeding and sheltering them, until they are ready for sale in the Beylagan bazaar. His customers are primarily butchers. When I asked him how he felt his business was doing, Hajibaba flashed me a confident “thumbs up!” As proof he told me that he has over 150 sheep in his flock this summer and he has been able to buy a truck with his business profits.

Hajibaba lives in Ashigli with his wife, two sons, one daughter, one daughter-in-law, and two grandchildren. His sons help him with his business.

Photo: Hajibaba stands in front of his new truck, while his son sits in the driver’s seat. They are preparing to head back to Ashigli with a fresh load of hay for his sheep.