WB to allocate 1.8 millionEUR on GIS system implementation in Armenian agricultural sector

ArmInfo. The WB will allocate 1.8 million EUR for the implementation of the geographic information system (GIS) in the agricultural sector of Armenia, which allows for accurate management and monitoring of the results of agriculture at various levels. The Minister of Agriculture of Armenia, Ignat Arakelyan, announced this at a press conference on March 30.

According to him, due to this system, it will be possible to carry out full survey of agricultural lands and obtain real information about the condition of the land, including identification of crops, determination of crop areas and crop conditions.

"We are currently negotiating with international structures on the GIS system, after which we will be able to determine the real potential of agriculture and understand more precisely in which direction to move," said the head of the agency, noting that after launching GIS, it is possible to predict the dynamics of the sphere more thoroughly. At the same time, the minister stressed that as a result of the information received, business projects will be created for farmers to develop and ensure the efficiency of farms.

Stressing the importance of the system's operation, Araqelyan noted that work towards the establishment of the base is being carried out simultaneously with several interested departments, including the Ministry of Environmental Protection of RA, the Ministry of Territorial Administration of RA, State Committee for Water Economy of the Republic of Armenia.

To note, the GIS is a modern computer technology for mapping and analysis of real-world objects, with the help of satellites it is possible to obtain images of individual fields, regions and districts with a certain cyclicity.

According to the National Statistical Service of Armenia, agricultural production growth in 2016 was 933.9 billion AMD with an annual decline by 5%, against growth of 11.5% a year earlier. In particular, the volumes in the cropping segment decreased by 11.7% in 2011 to 518.7 billion AMD, while the volume of livestock production increased by 4.7% to 388.8 billion AMD.