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.
