ArmInfo.On June 19, the Ministry of Economy of Armenia discussed issues related to the economic growth of the Republic of Armenia with a delegation of the French Development Agency (AFD). According to the press service of the Ministry of Economy of Armenia, regional director of AFD for Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, Turkey and Asia spoke about the current plans and activities of the Agency.
During the meeting, the Deputy Minister of Economy, Artak Kamalyan - responsible for agriculture, discussed procedural issues with representatives of the AFD within the framework of the program "Development of irrigated agriculture in Ararat and Armavir regions". The parties noted the importance of organizing processes aimed at a quick start of the program. The AFD delegation touched upon the main directions of the programs implemented in Armenia - the consolidation of communities, the stimulation of agricultural processing programs, the availability of credit resources for farms, the provision of employment for residents of the regions and the prevention of the flow of young people from the region to the capital. The prospects for cooperation in the management of the water system in the cities of the republic, improving energy efficiency and the development of regional infrastructures were also discussed. As Armenian Minister of Economy Tigran Khachatryan noted, without institutional development and management of the necessary procedures, it is impossible to achieve the intended goal of ensuring such a level of public services that limited resources are used as efficiently as possible. "We will be happy to discuss any initiative arising from the priorities of the AFD cooperation agenda," Tigran Khachatryan said. Earlier, ArmInfo reported that the French Development Agency (AFD) together with the EU within the framework of the "Irrigated Agriculture" program will provide Armenia with a grant of 10 million euros. The program is designed for three years (2018-2020), its goal is to improve the irrigation system in Armavir and Ararat regions. Funding will be directed to the introduction of a drip irrigation system, the development of intensive gardens, the processing of fruit crops, the laying of secondary irrigation canals and land consolidation. The funds will be allocated to the Agricultural Development Fund, which, in turn, will be responsible for the implementation of the program. This program is interconnected with another project, also funded by AFD, the Vedi reservoir construction program.
The program envisages the enlargement of a number of communities in the Ararat region, located next to the Vedi reservoir, where it is planned to introduce a drip irrigation system. The construction of the reservoir should provide reliable irrigation of 7,500 hectares of land in the Ararat plain. It is expected that, following the implementation of the two programs, it will be possible to resolve the issue of irrigation of agricultural land in the region.