Acting Agriculture Minister presented to French partners government`s  vision for agricultural sector development

ArmInfo. Acting Armenian Minister of Agriculture Gegham Gevorgyan received yesterday  Ambassador of France to Armenia Jonathan Lacote, Head of the South Caucasus Office of the French Development Agency Assayag Gaelle , as well as Head of the Village and Agriculture Development Program Alexia Hoffman.

According to the press service of the Ministry of Agriculture,  Gevorgyan presented to the guests in detail new approaches and  visions for the development of the agricultural field, the targeted  directions of the agricultural policy of the government of Armenia.  In particular, the Acting Minister stressed the importance of  organizing the production of high-grade crops, the establishment of  intensive gardens, the introduction of new irrigation systems and  anti-hail plants, the numbering of animals and the expansion of sales  markets for Armenian winemakers.

Gegham Gevorgyan also touched upon the grant program "Irrigated  Agriculture in the Ararat and Armavir Regions of Armenia", which will  soon be launched. The Acting Minister proposed to complete the  preparatory work, and, if possible, to start practical actions in a  short time. Gevorgyan also urged his interlocutors to explore the  prospects for establishing agricultural colleges using the French  experience in this field.  Ambassador Lacote, in turn, noted that the  implementation of joint educational programs may be of interest to  French specialists. The interlocutors discussed the prospects of  joint development of control mechanisms in the field of viticulture  and winemaking.  To recall, the French Development Agency provided  Armenia with a grant of 10 million euros for the implementation of  agricultural programs in the Ararat and Armavir regions. Funds will  be directed to the introduction of drip irrigation systems and  anti-hail plants, establishment of intensive gardens, processing of  fruit crops and land consolidation. The program envisages the  enlargement of a number of communities in the Ararat region, located  next to the Vedi reservoir under construction, where it is planned to  introduce a drip irrigation system. Earlier, ArmInfo reported that in  January 2016, a loan agreement worth EUR 75 million was signed  between Armenia and the French Development Agency for the  construction of the Vedi reservoir. The document was signed on the  basis of the strategic program for the future development of Armenia  for 2014-2025. The loan is granted for a period of 20 years with a  six-year grace period.