ArmInfo.The Armenian government will provide the necessary assistance to the winemakers of the republic. The Minister of Economy of the Republic of Armenia Tigran Khachatryan stated this at a meeting with winemakers of the country.
According to the press service of the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Armenia, during the meeting the Minister emphasized that the assistance will be in the form of additional loans for storing wine material and acquiring the necessary equipment. At the same time, he noted the importance of a balanced decision based on mutual concessions. Tigran Khachatryan recalled that the government has amended the program for subsidizing interest rates on loans granted to the processing industry in order to procure agricultural raw materials. These loans by the end of the year will be available at a zero interest rate.
The Minister also discussed with winemakers issues related to the harvesting of grapes, whose harvest is projected to be rich. In this context, the minister said that the government is discussing options that will help farmers fully realize the harvest, and the business to develop profitable activities.
Earlier, Arminfo, citing data from the Statistical Committee of the Republic of Armenia, reported that in the first quarter of 2020, the alcohol industry of Armenia reduced production volumes for all types of products. In particular, during the reporting period, the country produced 7.8 million liters of brandy, which is 6.3% less than the indicator a year ago (instead of growth by 31.2% for the same period a year earlier). The volume of wine produced in Armenia decreased by 17.4% (instead of growth by 3.4%), amounting to 1.9 million liters, champagne - by 5.9% (against growth by 9.9%) to 104.3 thousand liters. Vodka production also decreased - by 13.9% to 732.3 thousand liters, and beer - by 12% to 3.3 million liters (a year earlier, an increase of 7.1% and 26% was recorded, respectively). During the reporting period, 83.3 thousand liters of whiskey were produced in Armenia, which is 38.3% less than a year ago. Last year, whiskey production decreased by 15.4%.