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WHEAT DEFECIT: BREAD PRICES JUMP IN LORI
Larisa Paremuzyan
hetq
11:57, October 31, 2012
In Armenia's Lori Region, planting cereal grains for bread and other
staples has ground to a halt.
Grigor Hakobyan, Chief of the Agricultural and Environmental Department
at the Lori Regional Authority, told Hetq that only 6,000 hectares of
the 42,000 registered as "arable land" has received a fall planting
of wheat.
"The state government allocated 294 tons of wheat seed for planting
and we distributed it through all the villages," said HakO...byan. The
fall planting continues until November 10 and he hopes the planted
acreage will increase.
Last year, 8,700 hectares got a fall plating of wheat.
In 2011, the wheat harvest in Lori was 22,500 tons. It dropped to
20,500 tons this year. Hakobyan said that poor weather conditions
caused the drop in production. Whatever the excuses, the fact that
some 36,000 out of 42,000 remain uncultivated raises concerns.
Prices for 600 grams of bread produced by Alaverdi's Bread Factory
LLC have risen from 190 AMD to 230 in the last three months. Other
cereal products have also risen in price.
Bread Factory Director Kamo Varosyan points to the rise in the price
of flour as the culprit.
Bread prices have also gone up in the town of Vanadzor.
"People are buying a 400 gram loaf for 200 AMD. It's terrible but
what can you do? We constantly have to get used to these things,"
said Margarita Gevorgyan, an accountant from Vanadzor.
Painter Gevorg Arakelyan also expressed his disgust over the rising
prices.
"We're angry. They say the wheat is coming from Canada, Russia the
Far East and it's getting more expensive. What can we poor folk do?"
Hetq also asked Lori Deputy regional Governor Arsen Darbinyan to
weigh in on the price rise.
"It's the international market price," was his reply. He added that
Lori's wheat production only covers 20% of local demand and added
that the region doesn't have the vast tracts of arable land needed
to meet total demand.
When I reminded him about the 1,200 hectares not being cultivated
near Odzoun, Darbinyan shrugged his shoulders and exclaimed, "Hey,
it's because the villagers don't want to work."
Larisa Paremuzyan
hetq
11:57, October 31, 2012
In Armenia's Lori Region, planting cereal grains for bread and other
staples has ground to a halt.
Grigor Hakobyan, Chief of the Agricultural and Environmental Department
at the Lori Regional Authority, told Hetq that only 6,000 hectares of
the 42,000 registered as "arable land" has received a fall planting
of wheat.
"The state government allocated 294 tons of wheat seed for planting
and we distributed it through all the villages," said HakO...byan. The
fall planting continues until November 10 and he hopes the planted
acreage will increase.
Last year, 8,700 hectares got a fall plating of wheat.
In 2011, the wheat harvest in Lori was 22,500 tons. It dropped to
20,500 tons this year. Hakobyan said that poor weather conditions
caused the drop in production. Whatever the excuses, the fact that
some 36,000 out of 42,000 remain uncultivated raises concerns.
Prices for 600 grams of bread produced by Alaverdi's Bread Factory
LLC have risen from 190 AMD to 230 in the last three months. Other
cereal products have also risen in price.
Bread Factory Director Kamo Varosyan points to the rise in the price
of flour as the culprit.
Bread prices have also gone up in the town of Vanadzor.
"People are buying a 400 gram loaf for 200 AMD. It's terrible but
what can you do? We constantly have to get used to these things,"
said Margarita Gevorgyan, an accountant from Vanadzor.
Painter Gevorg Arakelyan also expressed his disgust over the rising
prices.
"We're angry. They say the wheat is coming from Canada, Russia the
Far East and it's getting more expensive. What can we poor folk do?"
Hetq also asked Lori Deputy regional Governor Arsen Darbinyan to
weigh in on the price rise.
"It's the international market price," was his reply. He added that
Lori's wheat production only covers 20% of local demand and added
that the region doesn't have the vast tracts of arable land needed
to meet total demand.
When I reminded him about the 1,200 hectares not being cultivated
near Odzoun, Darbinyan shrugged his shoulders and exclaimed, "Hey,
it's because the villagers don't want to work."