Farmers in Gegharkunik region still have tons of unsold cabbage and potatoes

Farmers in Gegharkunik region still have about 10 tons of cabbage and potatoes left in their warehouses, chairman of the Agrarian Union of Armenia Hrachya Berberyan said at a press conference on Tuesday.

YEREVAN, April 21. /ARKA. Farmers in Gegharkunik region still have about 10 tons of cabbage and potatoes left in their warehouses, chairman of the Agrarian Union of Armenia Hrachya Berberyan said at a press conference on Tuesday.

Berberyan estimated the losses caused by the war in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone at about $100-120 million per year, including more than 3 thousand hectares of orchards and vineyards, about 50 thousand hectares of cereal crops, about 250-300 hectares of onions and about 150 thousand sheep.

Talking about forecasts for 2021, he said that the only issue of concern is the problem of pollination.

"If at least 5% of the apricot tree flowers are pollinated, we will have a good crop. The problem of pollination is very important, because our population of bees has decreased," he said.

Due to the decline in the population of bees, he said, the amount of honey produced in the country has also decreased.

Earlier, Berberyan said that as a result of the war that Azerbaijan unleashed against Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), the Artsakh farmers lost about 3 thousand hectares of orchards, which are now controlled by Azerbaijan.

Overall, the Armenian farmers in Artsakh have lost also 100 thousand tons of wheat, 1.3 thousand hectares of pomegranate orchards, 300 hectares of persimmon gardens, about 250 hectares of land under onion, a significant area of vineyards, which are now controlled by Azerbaijan.

According to Armenian Central Bank's forecasts, economic growth in 2021 will be mainly driven by construction and agriculture sectors, to be accompanied by a certain recovery in private spending, although the domestic demand will remain weak because of the weak private sector consumption. -0-