Armenian Prime Minister: GDP growth rates of Armenia for upcoming years must be higher than in average in EAEU, CIS and other countries

ArmInfo. In 2018, it is planned  to invest 35.2bln AMD in the economy of the Armenian Aragatsotn  region. This was reported to the Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan by  the region's governor Ashot Simonyan.

According to the press service of Armenian Government, as a result of  the implementation of investment programs in the region, 350 new jobs  will be created. It is planned to carry out 350 basic works in 2018,  as a result of which another 600 new jobs will appear in the region.  According to the governor, in 2017, the private sector invested 6.5  billion AZMD, and in 2018 this figure will be brought up to 20.4  billion AMD.  These funds will be directed to such areas as milk and  dairy production, fruit and vegetable processing, juice and alcohol  production, diamond processing, textile production, tourism, etc.

As a whole, Ashot Simonyan noted, in 2017, the share of the  Aragatsotn region in Armenia's domestic gross product was 3%. At the  same time, gross industrial production in the region amounted to 35.9  billion AMD against 39.4 billion AMD a year earlier. The gross  agricultural production last year was at the level of 89.1 billion  drams against 87 billion AMD in 2016, which is 693.4 thousand drams  per capita, which is twice the average for the republic.

The trade turnover in the region in 2017 amounted to 16.9 billion  AMD, which is 1.9 billion AMD more compared to 2016, which makes  131.6 thousand AMD per capita. The volume of rendered services last  year was at the level of 10.9 billion AMD, which is 86.5 thousand  drams per capita. Growth in comparison with 2016 amounted to 1.7  billion AMD. The volume of construction work was 26.2 billion AMD,  which is 1.46% higher than the average for the republic. The growth  amounted to 3.6 billion AMD.

In 2017 the region exported goods for 4.6 billion AMD, which is 3  billion AMD less than in 2016. In 2017, investments in the region  were 26.2 billion AMD, which is 6 billion AMD more than in the  previous year.

Ashot Simonyan said that there are 54,1003 hectares of arable land in  the region, 40-50% of which are processed every year. The main reason  for this is the remoteness of these lands, their stoniness, as well  as the difficulties with irrigation. In the area from in 2018 it is  planned to increase the area of irrigated land by 400 hectares  through the implementation of projects to repair water supply  networks. In 2017, the area was founded by intensive gardens on an  area of 11 hectares, in general, the area of intensive gardens in the  area is currently 30 hectares. At the same time Ashot Simonyan  informed that only in 2018 in the region it is planned to establish  intensive gardens on an area of 120 hectares. This year in the  communities of Ashtarak and Voskevaz three more greenhouses will be  put into operation. Within the framework of the agricultural  production leasing program, 14 units of modern agricultural machinery  were purchased, another 15 units are planned to be purchased during  the current year. With the private sector, negotiations are underway  to establish a regional agricultural station in the region.

The RA Prime Minister welcomed the implementation of the agricultural  programs, pointing out the importance of increasing the volume of  agricultural exports. At the same time, the head of government urged  to pay more attention to the development of livestock breeding,  assuring that in this issue there will be no problems with the sale  of products. Karen Karapetyan also pointed to the importance of  clarifying statistical data. "We need truthful figures, we do not  need to draw them." The plan, which is being laid, should be heavily  loaded, and in this context the document's 95-97% compliance will be  welcomed more than 120%, since there is an understanding that when  planning "Our GDP growth rates for the coming years should be higher  than in the EAEU, the CIS and other countries." We closed this year  with such indicators, "Karen Karapetyan said.

The Prime Minister was also informed that in 2017 the revenues of the  budgets of local authorities amounted to 3.708 billion AMD, which is  99.1% of the planned ones, and the communities own revenues made  1.237 billion AMD, ensuring 98% performance. At the same time, own  revenues were raised by 218 million AMD more than a year earlier. In  2018, the communities of the region plan to collect 171.4 million AMD  more than their own incomes, than in 2017.