Wednesday, August 21 2024 13:34

ArmInfo.The Armenian government has set itself the task of modernizing the country's economy. This was stated by the RA Minister of Economy Gevorg Papoyan in an interview with the Public Television of the Republic of Armenia. 

According to him, one of the areas of modernization is improving the  situation in the country's agriculture.  In other areas of the  modernization program, the portfolio of state investments has already  amounted to about 300 billion drams, for which business entities have  purchased modern machinery, technologies, and equipment. As a result  of these measures, it is planned that in 2026 the productivity of the  Armenian economy will double compared to 2020-2021. As of now, this  productivity has already increased by about 50%.

As for agriculture, the minister noted that processes in this area  are developing at a much slower pace, despite the fact that over 50  billion drams have been directed to the area. However, no progress  has been observed in such areas as livestock farming. According to  the minister, this indicates an ineffective use of financial  resources. Farmers, for example, could attract 2 million drams in the  form of a loan to purchase a tractor. At the same time, the state  will almost completely cover all expenses for servicing interest  rates.  Citizens will only be required to pay 20% in advance, after  which they will have to pay off their loan obligations within five  years. "Every year, about 30% of all grain remains in the fields,  since old Niva combines are used to harvest it. The government of the  country offers farmers to take out loans to purchase new combines at  only 2% per annum, while paying an advance payment of 20% of the  amount of funds raised, covering them over six years. All those  farmers who took this step reached a level of profitability within  two to three years," the minister said.

He also pointed out the problems in the sphere of intensive gardens,  one of which is that they exist only on paper. Today, this problem no  longer exists. The state compensates the costs of only those farmers  who are engaged in the establishment of truly intensive gardens. The  profit of the owners of intensive gardens is tens of times greater  than the profit of traditional gardens.

The Minister emphasized that there is a problem in the livestock  sector, which is pointed out by livestock breeders themselves,  namely, the low price of dairy products, which makes their production  unprofitable.  Meanwhile, according to research data, the lowest  purchase prices for dairy products in the country correspond to  prices in Austria, where local farmers are rich people. "All this  once again speaks of the intensity of production. In Austria, 30  liters of milk are obtained from one cow, while in Armenia only 5  liters, draw your own conclusions," Papoyan said, adding that in this  area the state is implementing a large investment program to create  "smart" farms.