The lack of government procurement points for agricultural products puts farmers in border communities in a humiliating situation, forcing them to sell their crops on the side of the roads for years instead of systematically exporting. Narek Karapetyan, who heads the proportional list of the alliance of “Strong Armenia” parties, announced this in a video message published on his Facebook page on May 13 within the framework of the pre-election campaign in Tavush region.

Sharing the impressions of the meetings held in Noyemberyan, Berd and Bagratashen, the opposition figure emphasized that the potential of the region is not being used effectively due to the inaction of the authorities. Narek Karapetyan noted the paradoxical situation when in fertile regions, where almost everything grows, from peaches to oranges and olives, the villagers are deprived of the basic conditions for the sale of products.

“It is surprising that until now no one in Armenia has dealt with this issue, which is why our villages are in such a wretched state,” he emphasized, promising to introduce a program for the creation of procurement stations in every village. Karapetyan also proposed clear support mechanisms for the border zone, in particular, provision of cheap gas to greenhouse farms. This will allow to promote the development of production in the border regions.

Summarizing the visit, Narek Karapetyan thanked the residents of Tavush region for their warm welcome and expressed his confidence that with the right economic approach and the activation of agriculture, great progress is expected for the region.

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