“We have to see for ourselves. at least we didn’t have apricots this year, didn’t we?

At the end of last week, a group of residents of Upper Dvin stopped their cars loaded with tomatoes on the interstate road and were protesting. They complained about the problems for the sale of the crop, because after the sanctions applied by Russia, the crop is not sold in the domestic market, and they cannot export to EU countries, because that market is open only to very large producers.

They complained that their cultivated tomatoes are sold for 40 drams, while resellers sell the same product in the market for 480 drams.

Tomato grower Sargon Tamrazov in other words, this Government does not think about the peasants in general, it only thinks about large producers.

“We are not able to export tomatoes first, and we barely sell a part in the domestic market for 40 drams. The Minister of Economy declares that 40 drams is a good price.

We suffer losses every day, imagine: we pay 70,000 drams a day to the laborers working in the field, but the product is not sold, we cultivate the land with debt and credit. Right now, go to “Meimandari” market, a box of tomatoes, 22 kilograms, is sold for 1500-2000 drams.  I took a loan, I sold strawberries and put all the money into the land, it doesn’t pay off, I don’t know what the end will be.” of 168.am Sargon Tamrazov said in a conversation with the Minister of Economy after the protest and the problems of selling the crops.

According to him, if the government is talking about tomatoes being exported to the EU market, then how is it that he and any producer from his circle are unable to sell the crop?

“If tomatoes were exported to the EU market, at least the domestic market would be open for us. Last year we exported our products and sold them in the domestic market, the supermarkets worked well with us, but this year they are working with the big ones, that’s why we are in such a difficult situation.

We never had such a problem, the Russian market was open for us, we were able to export. We also exported apricots and other products, it’s good, at least we didn’t have apricots this year, otherwise we would have cried over the apricots,” added our interlocutor.

According to Sargon Tamrazov, with this indifference, the Government is simply telling the peasants: don’t cultivate your land, or if you cultivate, then think about the sale yourself.

“Today, our country does not have a Ministry of Agriculture. What does the Minister of Economy have to do with agriculture?” Previously, we had a Ministry of Agriculture, people were still dealing with our problems and issues. Today, what does the Minister of Economy know about the problems of the peasant, what he is doing?

Many markets are closed for us today, we are left hoping for a couple of markets, where we sell some parts very cheaply. They also cut the subsidy. The market did not open for us, we will not be able to cultivate the land. The government should think about what to do to get us out of this crisis, but as we can see, it has no purpose to think, and now we have to look at the bottom of our heads,” emphasized Sargon Tamrazov.