Agriculture Ministry develops strategic program of supporting farmers and does not rule out reduction of interest rates on loans

ArmInfo.Armenia's Agriculture  Ministry develops a strategic program of supporting farmers, Minister  Ignatiy Arakelyan told journalists after the government's session. 

According to the Minister, within the process of drafting the  strategy efforts will be made to attract donors who will provide  assistance to busies and hold trainings, as in current conditions a  farmer can not make business on his own.  The Minister informed that  daily work is being conducted with the purchasing enterprises to  redeem the existing debts to farmers. "The enterprises have already  agreed on the dates of redemption of debts and I do not see any  problems in this context", he stated. If the debts are not redeemed  as scheduled the state will have to interfere, he noted. 

Araelyan noted that the government can not act as donor everlasting  and the problem with purchases should be solved. At the same time  Arakelyan admitted that he does not have any solution yet. "We are  working on this", he stated. 

Talking about the field development Arakelyan did not rule out  possibility of reducing interest rates on loans for purchasing and  processing plants from the current 11% to 8%. As for subsidizing the  field particularly vine growing, the Minister said that this model is  also being studied within the strategy, however any purchases may  launch only from the next year.