Agriculture ministry: Armenian canneries ready to purchase farmers’ entire crop hurt by hailstorms
05.06.2013,
19:10
Armenian canneries are ready to purchase farmers’ entire crop hurt by hailstorms, Deputy Agriculture Minister Robert Makaryan said Wednesday at a news conference.
YEREVAN, July 5. /ARKA/. Armenian canneries are ready to purchase farmers’ entire crop hurt by hailstorms, Deputy Agriculture Minister Robert Makaryan said Wednesday at a news conference.
On May 12, hailstorms inflicted significant damage to 17,000 hectares of crop land in Armenia’s Armavir province. Crops in Shirak, Aragatsotn, Lori, Kotayk
and Syunik provinces have been stricken by hail as well.
“Farmers feared that their harvest would remain unsold because of its bad marketable condition,” Makaryan said. “Nevertheless, we have already arranged with canneries about this, and they will buy all the products farmers offer them, particularly fruits, including apricots.”
The deputy minister, however, refrained from predicting how large the agriculture sector’s output will be this year and how heavy was the damage inflicted by hailstorms - he said the figures are being specified now.
Makaryan said that canneries had 8,811 contracts with farmers by June 5. Of them, 8,580 have been signed to purchase grapes.
“Grapes will cost 142 dram per one kilogram, on average, this year, just as a year before,” he added.
Earlier, Makaryan said that canneries are ready to buy some 86,500 tons of fruits and vegetables from farmers in 2013 – 58,000 tons of vegetables, of which 51,000 are tomatoes, and 28,500 tons of fruits.
On May 23, the Armenian government approved a program implying support for damaged farms and compensations. Hail-stricken farm owners will enjoy land tax preferences. They may also enjoy adjournments in payment of their bills for irrigation water. New anti-hail cannons will be deployed under the program as well.
Commercial banks display individual approaches toward the owners of hail-stricken farms to revise lending terms. ($1 – AMD 416.84). -0-
