Armenia  to establish  Institute of Agricultural Consultants

ArmInfo.Armenia intends to establish an Institute of Agricultural Consultants. This  goal is being pursued by the French Development Agency's IADAAM (Irrigated Agriculture Development in Ararat and Armavir Regions) program, funded by the EU, which was launched in July 2024. This was stated by the program's director Karen Harutyunyan during an event dedicated to the completion of the educational component of the program.

He noted that IADAAM is an important program, not only because it is  being implemented in agriculture, but also because it is a pilot and  the first of its kind in our country focusing on irrigation. <Our  program aims to establish an Institute of Agricultural Consultants in  Armenia>, - Harutyunyan emphasized. He also noted that this program  should expand to cover all regions of Armenia, as it will contribute  to increasing the profitability of farmers and the efficiency of the  agricultural sector - knowledge-intensive and based on the  implementation of technological solutions.

In an interview with an ArmInfo correspondent, Deputy Head of the  IADAAM program team Sergey Matevosyan said that the program, with a  budget 10 million euros, consists of two parts - providing technical  assistance to employees of the agricultural block of the Ministry of  Economy and creating funds to finance farmers for  land  consolidation, establishing cooperatives, introducing  modern  irrigation systems and assisting in obtaining loans by providing   collateral guarantees.

At this stage, as Matevosyan stated, his team is busy developing the  mechanisms of these funds with the involvement of local and  international experts, taking into account the best international  experience, the characteristics of our market, the legislative field,  etc. <After agreement with the government, the funds will begin their  direct activities,> Matevosyan said. When asked to assess the current  state of agriculture in Armenia, the expert noted that on the way to  consolidation of the agricultural sector, those responsible for the  sphere should not ignore small farms, even considering their  unprofitability from an economic point of view. In this regard, he   noted that in all developed or moderately developed countries there  is a policy for the development of small farms. Moreover, he  emphasized that in the context of Armenia, small farms are of  strategic importance, as they  keep our borders.  It should be noted  that during today's event, certificates were awarded to program  participants, who will provide consulting support to farms in the  Ararat and Armavir regions in the future, as part of groups.