Minister speaks about achievements and faults in Armenian agriculture
Sergo Karapetyan, Armenia's agriculture minister, presenting the 2015 performance report to the National Assembly's committees, spoke about achievements and problems of agriculture. He also told lawmakers how his ministry is struggling against corruption.
Karapetyan said that the 11.7% growth the agriculture sector enjoyed in 2015 gives grounds for optimism.
«Armenian agriculture gross product amounted to AMD 1 trillion 2 billion 200 million,» he said. «Gross product in the plant growing segment grew 15.2% and areas under crop increased 5.7%. The rate of purposed use of cropland rose to 79% in 2015 from 74% in 2014. Cropland grew by 19,000 hectares.»
Fruits and vegetables exports total 48,000 tons by now against the 19,850 tons exported over the same period of the previous year.
Cheese exports grew as well – 2,593 tons against 1,110 a year before, and fish exports totaled 580 tons against 439 tons respectively.
Karapetyan expects that Armenia's agriculture exports will exceed imports this year. He also said that spirits exports started growing in April.
In his words, the self-sufficiency of the wheat segments the country's agriculture rose to 54-55% in 2015 from 49% in 2014. Some 336,000 tons of wheat were harvested in 2015. Areas under wheat crops increased by 6.4% and crops grew 13.5%. Productivity rate rose 7.5% to 34 centners per one hectare.
The minister also answered questions related to import of Turkish tomatoes into Armenia.
«Only 192 tons of tomatoes were brought to Armenia over the first five months of 2016, some of them from Turkey, and since mid-March no tomatoes have been imported at all,» he said.
Thanks to greenhouses built on 100 hectares in Armenia there is no need to import tomatoes in this season.
Armenia also recorded 6.1% growth in cattle breeding in 2015. Cattle stock grew 1.9% in 2015, smalls grew 4.3% and pigs 22.8%.
In his words, 597 pedigree cows were brought to Armenia from Europe in 2015 and other 453 cows are expected to be imported in the next two weeks.
Speaking about lending for farmers, Karapetyan said that loans were extended to 22 farms in Armenia in 2015.
The government started implementing this program in 2011, and subsidized interest rate has been increased from 4% to 6% since then, which means that beneficiaries receive loans at 8% annual interest rate. The total portfolio subsidized farmer loans amounted to AMD 15.2 billion in 2015.
The minister said 110 preferential farmer loans amounting to AMD 86.5 billion have been extended since 2011.
In his words, corruption risks in the agriculture ministry have been reduced to minimum.
Hovik Abrahamyan, Armenian prime minister, speaking recently at one of the regular Cabinet sessions, pointed out the necessity of optimizing the state administration system and said he intended to revise his attitude toward corruption and monopolies.
Karapetyan said that the ministry’s spending has significantly been cut and considerable savings have appeared since he took office in 2011.
“I have always struggling for saving electricity and water in the ministry, and repair in the ministry has been done at my personal account,” he said.
The minister also said that he has always flew economy and with only one accompanying person.
He said that job cuts are planned at his ministry, but they will absolutely not affect effectiveness of the work.
“In particular, some 60 of Armenian Forest organization’s 950 employees are planned to be dismissed, and we will never employ other people to replace the dismissed,” he said. ($1 – AMD 477.78). --0---