Cotton, grain, grapes, and tobacco are the leading crops, although the production of cotton and grapes has fallen considerably in recent years. Mountain pastures are used for sheep grazing. In the subtropical L nk ran Lowland in the southeast, tea, citrus fruits, and olives are grown. Production has plummeted in the early 1990s, as the economy has suffered from mounting costs associated with the war in Nagorno-Karabakh and the disruption of trade ties with other former Soviet republics. Net material production declined by an estimated 30 percent in 1992 alone.
Agriculture is the largest sector in terms of employment.
The agricultural labor force is twice that of industry. Employment in services remains at 28 percent, approximately the same level as in the mid-1980s. Until 1994 Azerbaijan used the Russian ruble as its currency. That year, the Azerbaijani manat became the sole legal tender. Government Azerbaijan is currently governed under a 1978 constitution.