ArmInfo.Within the framework of the Irrigated Agriculture program, the French Development Agency (FAR) will provide a grant of 10 million euros to Armenia. The proposal to conclude an agreement was approved at a cabinet meeting on October 17.
According to the Minister of Economy of Armenia Tigran Khachatryan, the program consists of two parts: 8.5 million will be allocated to the Ministry of Economy, and 1.5 microns of euro to the Ministry of Territorial Development and Infrastructures. The funds will be used to implement the Irrigated Agriculture program in the Armavir and Ararat regions. The goal is to ensure more sustainable and effective development of the agricultural sector, the development of skills and assistance in the creation and development of cooperatives, as well as to increase the availability of consulting and financial services for farms.
According to the results of the program, the minister said that it is expected to modernize irrigation infrastructures on an area of 2 thousand ha, create at least 20 production cooperatives and farming groups. 10 land consolidation activities will also be implemented.
Earlier, ArmInfo already reported that the French Development Agency (FAR), together with the EU, will provide a grant of 10 million euros to Armenia under the Irrigated Agriculture program. The program is designed for three years (2018-2020), its goal is to improve the irrigation system in the Armavir and Ararat regions. Financing will be aimed at introducing a drip irrigation system, breaking down intensive orchards, processing fruit crops, laying 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 interlinked with another project also funded by the FAR - the Vedi Reservoir Construction Program. The program provides for the enlargement of a number of communities in the Ararat region located next to the Vedinsky reservoir under construction, where it is planned to introduce a drip irrigation system. The construction of the reservoir should provide reliable irrigation of 7500 hectares of land in the Ararat plain. It is expected that following the results of the implementation of two programs, it will be possible to resolve the issue of irrigation of agricultural land in the region.