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FARMERS MOVEMENT NGO OFFERS CLOSING MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE OF ARMENIA
arminfo
Wednesday, January 23, 13:12
Head of the Farmers Movement NGO Sargis Sedrakyan offers closing the
Ministry of Agriculture as a useless and unnecessary structure.
Sedrakyan told media, Wednesday, that everyone at the ministry,
starting from the minister up to the head of the department,
are non-competent. The tasks to ensure food self-sustainability
and employment are failed. Since the moment of privatization of
agricultural lands, the ministry has been waging incorrect agrarian
policy that has made peasants to leave the country for earning. As
a result, nearly 50%-60% of the lands, which is about 560,000 ha,
have not been cultivated for years and are degrading. The government
assistance to farmers - equipment, fertilizers, and seeds - does not
reach the target.
"Ask any villager what assistance they have received from the Ministry,
he will answer - nothing. Farmers are given a bunch of seeds, a cup
of diesel ahead of elections, which is assessed as voter bribery. Most
of villagers live in misery. Some receive private transfers, otherwise
they would be starving," Sedrakyan said.
To settle the problems of villagers, Sedrakyan's organization offers
providing target-oriented assistance to poor villagers. He offers the
government to procure agricultural products from poor farmers for the
prices higher than the market ones, especially, in the near-border
villages. In addition, he suggests providing loans to villagers for 15
years at an annual interest of 3%-5% instead of the current 10% for a
period of 1 year, which is a real fraud. He said such high-interest
loans are not in demand among farmers. Those who have already taken
such loans fail to redeem the interests. Sedrakyan said that he voiced
the given issue at the Collegial Meeting of the Ministry and received
no response.
For his part, a member of the Farmers Movement said that agricultural
loans for 10% annual interest are highly in demand, but not all the
farmers can get them for they are limited.
To recall, the government subsidies the annual interests of the
above agricultural loans by 4% for farmers and by 6% for especially
unsecured 225 communities in the country. So, the farmers receive
the loans for 8%-10% annual interest.
arminfo
Wednesday, January 23, 13:12
Head of the Farmers Movement NGO Sargis Sedrakyan offers closing the
Ministry of Agriculture as a useless and unnecessary structure.
Sedrakyan told media, Wednesday, that everyone at the ministry,
starting from the minister up to the head of the department,
are non-competent. The tasks to ensure food self-sustainability
and employment are failed. Since the moment of privatization of
agricultural lands, the ministry has been waging incorrect agrarian
policy that has made peasants to leave the country for earning. As
a result, nearly 50%-60% of the lands, which is about 560,000 ha,
have not been cultivated for years and are degrading. The government
assistance to farmers - equipment, fertilizers, and seeds - does not
reach the target.
"Ask any villager what assistance they have received from the Ministry,
he will answer - nothing. Farmers are given a bunch of seeds, a cup
of diesel ahead of elections, which is assessed as voter bribery. Most
of villagers live in misery. Some receive private transfers, otherwise
they would be starving," Sedrakyan said.
To settle the problems of villagers, Sedrakyan's organization offers
providing target-oriented assistance to poor villagers. He offers the
government to procure agricultural products from poor farmers for the
prices higher than the market ones, especially, in the near-border
villages. In addition, he suggests providing loans to villagers for 15
years at an annual interest of 3%-5% instead of the current 10% for a
period of 1 year, which is a real fraud. He said such high-interest
loans are not in demand among farmers. Those who have already taken
such loans fail to redeem the interests. Sedrakyan said that he voiced
the given issue at the Collegial Meeting of the Ministry and received
no response.
For his part, a member of the Farmers Movement said that agricultural
loans for 10% annual interest are highly in demand, but not all the
farmers can get them for they are limited.
To recall, the government subsidies the annual interests of the
above agricultural loans by 4% for farmers and by 6% for especially
unsecured 225 communities in the country. So, the farmers receive
the loans for 8%-10% annual interest.