ArmInfo. In cooperation with the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Agriculture of Armenia intends to introduce innovative methods for processing statistical information of the agro-industrial complex, Deputy Minister of Agriculture of Armenia Armen Harutyunyan stated during the plenary session on June 29 at the 7th Russian-Armenian Interregional Forum.
Answering the question by ArmInfo, he noted that the modernization of existing methods of collecting and processing data on agricultural statistics implies the creation of a land monitoring system using digital technologies. "This will allow making better decisions for efficient development of the agro-industrial complex," the Deputy Minister stressed. According to him, the issue of access and introduction of technologies in agriculture is one of the priority areas of cooperation with Russian partners. <Worldwide, agriculture is dynamically transformed with active development of competition. And if nothing is done and the same old methods , tools and knowledge are applied, there will be no progress, " Harutyunyan noted.
In addition, during his speech, the Deputy Minister outlined the main directions of development of agriculture and agro-industrial complex of Armenia. First and foremost, Harutyunyan mentioned the development of infrastructures, continious work to improve human capital in terms of higher and technical education and advisory service. "Today with our counterparts from the Ministry of Education we are carrying out reforms in the field of agrarian education, in particular technical education. Here, in the main, our efforts are focused on ensuring that students spend at least 50-60% of their time, not in classrooms, but on the field, what is being done to enrich their practical experience before they start directly activities in the agrosphere, he explained. Together with that, the agency is working to improve the quality of advisory services, which are represented in all areas of the country, but do not yet meet all the needs of farms.
The next group of activities according to Harutyunyan relate to the availability of financial resources. The Deputy Minister noted that today the state policy is aimed at improving the conditions for financing agriculture and agro-industrial complex. In this regard, he recalled the introduction of the system of agricultural insurance, which will be launched in Armenia in 2019. No less important task in Deputy Ministre's opinion is the reduction of risks, but not only through the launch of the insurance system, but also with the use of instruments that generally protect agriculture. A special emphasis during the speech was put on the implementation of the policy of import substitution. In this light, he noted the importance of efficient cooperation between Armenian and Russian state agencies in the matter of providing entrepreneurs with effective contacts for fullfilling the unused potential and fill the unreached segments of the markets. To note, the 7th Russian-Armenian Interregional Forum is held in Yerevan and is called "Digital initiatives of Russia and Armenia in the framework of the implementation of the digital agenda of the EEU." The forum is organized by the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation in cooperation with the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Development of the Republic of Armenia.
