€26-million ENPARD program launched today in Armenia
23.01.2015,
16:23
ENPARD (European Neighborhood Program for Rural Development Armenia) was launched today in Armenia.
YEREVAN, January 23. /ARKA/. ENPARD (European Neighborhood Program for Rural Development Armenia) was launched today in Armenia.
Over a period of implementation of this three-year program run by the European Union and the Austrian Development Agency, €20 million will be provided to the Armenian government as budgetary assistance for sustainable and comprehensive development of rural communities.
Another €5 million will be provided to the agriculture ministry for supporting farming. In addition, the Austrian government will provide €1 million for implementing this program in Shirak, Lori and Tavush provinces.
«Our relations with the European Union have already reached a new level, and it is especially important that this process has begun from agriculture,» Armenian Agriculture Minister Sergo Karapetyan told journalists at the official ceremony. «Today we can say after one-year negotiation that the cooperation has already started.»
In his words, this program is very important for Armenia's agriculture since it is mostly focused on strengthening capacity, establishing cooperative farms, improving consultation system and enhancing food safety, and income of the people working in the agriculture sector will grow thanks to it.
«The program is being implemented by UNDP, FAO and UNIDO, and if it is successful and if it produces satisfactory results, cooperation with the European Union will be continued, and this will lay groundwork for implementing larger programs in agriculture,» Karapetyan said.
Head of the EU Delegation to Armenia Ambassador Traian Hristea, on his side, said that the European Union is pleased to provide important financial assistance to Armenia's agriculture, since it is an important component of the country's economy and residents of rural areas are employed here.
He said food safety and availability of loans are top-priority focuses. The €20-milling budgetary assistance will be transferred in three tranches - €6 million in 2015, €7 million in 2016 and €7 million in 2017.
The program beneficiaries are rural communities, farms and members of groups producing agricultural products. ---0-----
