WHICH OF THE MINISTRY-VILLAGE CIRCLES IS TO BLAME
http://karabakh-open.info/en/societyen/3577-en875
Tuesday, 05 March 2013 18:30
In 2008 when new programmes of agricultural development were worked
out, after certain examinations of the sphere the government came
to the conclusion that farmers needed professional consultation and
in answer to the local people's demands the institute of regional
agronomists was created. Yet, no agricultural changes have been
performed in the villages for the past years. During his March 1
conference with the agronomists of the Republic the minister of
agriculture focused on this problem.
According to minister Andranik Khachatryan the state policy that
is worked out does not reach the villagers and it is partly the
agronomists' fault. According to him sometimes they are themselves
suspicious of the suggested programmes and procedures and by the data
they have from the villages most agronomists just get a salary and
do nothing.
The fact that the agronomist's work hardly changed anything in the
rural communities is obvious, that state agricultural programmes do
not always reach the landowners is not also disputable. The question
which circle of the agriculture ministry - village connection is to
blame is a matter of serious analysis. And perhaps this is not only the
fault of one of the mentioned circles. There are both subjective and
objective problems, such as the level of some specialists' knowledge
or the devotion to work or merely technical problems.
What must be done to change the situation? The minister of agriculture
suggested developing some mechanisms to control the agronomists'
work and demanding accounts. It turned out that in the regional
administrations they have already taken this measure, the agronomists'
tasks are worked out and discussed collectively.
The average index of crop yield shows that this documentation does
not always help to increase the quality of work. It turns out that
not only the villager is displeased with the agronomist's work but in
many cases the agronomist is also dissatisfied with the villagers. The
landowner decides himself what to do and in what way, the agronomist
has no power over the landowner or the machine operator to make
them work in the right way. There is no policy for considering the
specialists' opinion in rendering state assistance to the landowner
and naturally no mechanism for the agronomists to carry responsibility
for the efficiency of the agricultural work though in his speech
minister Andranik Khachatryan mentioned something like that. There
is no mechanism to specify the landowner-agronomist relations which
contradict the obligatory terms of agricultural work. It appears that
the villager consults with the agronomist only in case of disasters
to draw up a statement of the damage or the agronomist visits the
fields only to fill in the account or limits his duties to a call to
the villager or the community head. The government continues spending
money without any result. By the way, regional agronomists are paid a
salary of 75 000 drams when the heads of the agricultural departments
of regional administrations get 100 000 drams.
http://karabakh-open.info/en/societyen/3577-en875
Tuesday, 05 March 2013 18:30
In 2008 when new programmes of agricultural development were worked
out, after certain examinations of the sphere the government came
to the conclusion that farmers needed professional consultation and
in answer to the local people's demands the institute of regional
agronomists was created. Yet, no agricultural changes have been
performed in the villages for the past years. During his March 1
conference with the agronomists of the Republic the minister of
agriculture focused on this problem.
According to minister Andranik Khachatryan the state policy that
is worked out does not reach the villagers and it is partly the
agronomists' fault. According to him sometimes they are themselves
suspicious of the suggested programmes and procedures and by the data
they have from the villages most agronomists just get a salary and
do nothing.
The fact that the agronomist's work hardly changed anything in the
rural communities is obvious, that state agricultural programmes do
not always reach the landowners is not also disputable. The question
which circle of the agriculture ministry - village connection is to
blame is a matter of serious analysis. And perhaps this is not only the
fault of one of the mentioned circles. There are both subjective and
objective problems, such as the level of some specialists' knowledge
or the devotion to work or merely technical problems.
What must be done to change the situation? The minister of agriculture
suggested developing some mechanisms to control the agronomists'
work and demanding accounts. It turned out that in the regional
administrations they have already taken this measure, the agronomists'
tasks are worked out and discussed collectively.
The average index of crop yield shows that this documentation does
not always help to increase the quality of work. It turns out that
not only the villager is displeased with the agronomist's work but in
many cases the agronomist is also dissatisfied with the villagers. The
landowner decides himself what to do and in what way, the agronomist
has no power over the landowner or the machine operator to make
them work in the right way. There is no policy for considering the
specialists' opinion in rendering state assistance to the landowner
and naturally no mechanism for the agronomists to carry responsibility
for the efficiency of the agricultural work though in his speech
minister Andranik Khachatryan mentioned something like that. There
is no mechanism to specify the landowner-agronomist relations which
contradict the obligatory terms of agricultural work. It appears that
the villager consults with the agronomist only in case of disasters
to draw up a statement of the damage or the agronomist visits the
fields only to fill in the account or limits his duties to a call to
the villager or the community head. The government continues spending
money without any result. By the way, regional agronomists are paid a
salary of 75 000 drams when the heads of the agricultural departments
of regional administrations get 100 000 drams.