Agriculture To Mark Growth

AGRICULTURE TO MARK GROWTH

AZG Armenian Daily #069, 19/04/2005

Karabakh diary

Agriculture minister of Nagorno Karabakh, Vahram Baghdasarian, called
a press conference yesterday to introduce Ministry’s activities and
programs as he spends the 100th day in office.

According to the minister’s figures, the agricultural GDP of Nagorno
Karabakh for 2004 amounted to 21 billion AMD. It’s a 60 percent
upgrowth for the last 5 years. The sphere of plant cultivation marked
doubled growth. The progress is a result of extending the sown area.

Baghdasarian assured that in 2004 NKR provided itself with wheat,
potatoes and grapes. But instead the republic had shortage of fruits
and berries.

The minister highlighted the issue of irrigation water in NKR. If in
the Soviet times the reservoirs of Sarsang, Khachen, Hilis as well as
others pumped water to 25 thousand hectare, then now only 3.000 is
irrigated. The minister said that they work on improving republic’s
irrigation system and that they look forward to build reservoirs of
Askeran, Varanda, Ishghanaget and finish the project of pumping water
from Matakhis reservoir to valleys of Martakert.

The state budget assigns more and more money with each year,
Baghdasarian said and added that the Ministry has elaborated
agriculture development program for 2006-2010. The program will
allow to satisfy demand for meat products in 2010 by getting up to
100 percent of production and to increase wheat production for 5 times.

Speaking of crediting villagers, Vahram Baghdasarian noted that the
problem here is the absence of mortgage in villages.

The NKR government is looking for ways out from this
situation. Regarding the viticulture in particular, the state may
act as guarantor if landowners submit a collective application.

Baghdasarian emphasized the shortage of agricultural specialists in
regions and expressed hope that the higher educational establishments
of NKR, especially Artsakh State University, can fill the gap with
their graduates in near future.

By Kim Gabrielian