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GRIBOYEDOV VILLAGE FARMERS: "THE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE NEEDS A REALITY CHECK"
Grisha Balasanyan
hetq
17:38, June 7, 2012
Hovhannes Jamalyan is a farmer in the Armavir Marz village of
Griboyedov who's decided to set up a hothouse operation on a plot of
land near his house.
He's like many others in the village who have turned to this method of
growing fruits and vegetables due to the scarcity of irrigation water.
I recently visited his operation and Hovhannes said he already had
a crop of cucumbers for sale but the market price was ridiculously low.
It's so low that he can't even pay for the cost of the seed.
Hovhannes told me that before the growing season started he had taken
loans from friends and the bank to buy the seed, plastic sheeting,
fertilizer and other items needed. He's slowly paying off the loans
The hothouse farmer said he can't even sell a kilo of cucumbers at
40 AMD. No wonder that he's stopped shelling out for plant medicines
that go for 20,000 AMD per dose.
"I've invested about 350,000 AMD on the cucumbers alone. If I could
only sell about 100-150,000 AMD worth to cover half my initial outlay
and have some money to live on," Hovhannes said.
Not having a car, he can't take his produce to market himself. A
daily transportation cost to reach the Malatya market is 5,000 AMD
and that doesn't include the fee for a market stall.
Even if he could afford a place at the market, the rules set a
definite time for when village farmers have to vacate the market and
turn their spots over to resellers. Hovhannes figures it would be
a waste of time and money to sell his produce at the market, so he
sells when he grows from home.
To show just how costly hothouse farming can be, Hovhannes said
that the family's gold jewellery had to be put up as collateral to
get a 75,000 loan from the bank. The money was used to purchase the
pesticide/insecticide sprayer seen in the photo.
Hovhannes says that an Armenian from Georgia recently told him that
Armenian customs charges 130 AMD for each kilo of cucumbers coming from
Georgia. He points to this fact as to why farm produce in Armenia is
so cheap. Produce isn't being brought into Armenia from neighboring
Georgia due to the high tariffs.
Griboyedov acting mayor Anahit Keshish-Ghoukasyan said that many
residents were fleeing the village and the country because of the
unpaid debts that have accumulated.
"Go to some of the neighboring villages and you'll see that they are
growing all kinds of produce. They don't have a water problem. Here,
we can only plant wheat and alfalfa. There's no crop rotation. Those
who have set up hothouses can't sell their produce at normal prices,"
said the acting mayor.
She added that fish farms are another factor leading to the desiccation
of the land. Deep wells are being dug and the underground water supply
is being exploited.
More and more villagers have given up on making a living from farming,
she notes, and says that land tax collections are falling as a result.
People are paying what little they have to pay off their loans.
The acting mayor says that the people at the top, the government,
need to focus more on the issues affecting people at the bottom.
According to her estimates, 150 residents have already left the
village and their numbers are increasing.
"When our agriculture minister gives a speech we say to ourselves
'does he have a clue regarding the conditions we average folk face
on a daily basis.' I mean to say he should be better informed about
what we get back for all our sweat and work," says Keshish-Ghoukasyan.
She believes that the new generation needs to be more demanding for
anything to change.
The acting mayor is guardedly optimistic towards the future and
believes that the younger generations will become more outspoken and
demanding vis-a-vis the government.
She adds that it will take some time for people to change however.
Grisha Balasanyan
hetq
17:38, June 7, 2012
Hovhannes Jamalyan is a farmer in the Armavir Marz village of
Griboyedov who's decided to set up a hothouse operation on a plot of
land near his house.
He's like many others in the village who have turned to this method of
growing fruits and vegetables due to the scarcity of irrigation water.
I recently visited his operation and Hovhannes said he already had
a crop of cucumbers for sale but the market price was ridiculously low.
It's so low that he can't even pay for the cost of the seed.
Hovhannes told me that before the growing season started he had taken
loans from friends and the bank to buy the seed, plastic sheeting,
fertilizer and other items needed. He's slowly paying off the loans
The hothouse farmer said he can't even sell a kilo of cucumbers at
40 AMD. No wonder that he's stopped shelling out for plant medicines
that go for 20,000 AMD per dose.
"I've invested about 350,000 AMD on the cucumbers alone. If I could
only sell about 100-150,000 AMD worth to cover half my initial outlay
and have some money to live on," Hovhannes said.
Not having a car, he can't take his produce to market himself. A
daily transportation cost to reach the Malatya market is 5,000 AMD
and that doesn't include the fee for a market stall.
Even if he could afford a place at the market, the rules set a
definite time for when village farmers have to vacate the market and
turn their spots over to resellers. Hovhannes figures it would be
a waste of time and money to sell his produce at the market, so he
sells when he grows from home.
To show just how costly hothouse farming can be, Hovhannes said
that the family's gold jewellery had to be put up as collateral to
get a 75,000 loan from the bank. The money was used to purchase the
pesticide/insecticide sprayer seen in the photo.
Hovhannes says that an Armenian from Georgia recently told him that
Armenian customs charges 130 AMD for each kilo of cucumbers coming from
Georgia. He points to this fact as to why farm produce in Armenia is
so cheap. Produce isn't being brought into Armenia from neighboring
Georgia due to the high tariffs.
Griboyedov acting mayor Anahit Keshish-Ghoukasyan said that many
residents were fleeing the village and the country because of the
unpaid debts that have accumulated.
"Go to some of the neighboring villages and you'll see that they are
growing all kinds of produce. They don't have a water problem. Here,
we can only plant wheat and alfalfa. There's no crop rotation. Those
who have set up hothouses can't sell their produce at normal prices,"
said the acting mayor.
She added that fish farms are another factor leading to the desiccation
of the land. Deep wells are being dug and the underground water supply
is being exploited.
More and more villagers have given up on making a living from farming,
she notes, and says that land tax collections are falling as a result.
People are paying what little they have to pay off their loans.
The acting mayor says that the people at the top, the government,
need to focus more on the issues affecting people at the bottom.
According to her estimates, 150 residents have already left the
village and their numbers are increasing.
"When our agriculture minister gives a speech we say to ourselves
'does he have a clue regarding the conditions we average folk face
on a daily basis.' I mean to say he should be better informed about
what we get back for all our sweat and work," says Keshish-Ghoukasyan.
She believes that the new generation needs to be more demanding for
anything to change.
The acting mayor is guardedly optimistic towards the future and
believes that the younger generations will become more outspoken and
demanding vis-a-vis the government.
She adds that it will take some time for people to change however.