Strong Armenia party to address farmers` issues 

ArmInfo.If the "Strong Armenia" party led by  renowned businessman and philanthropist Samvel  Karapetyan comes to power, it will address the issues of the country's farmers.

Speaking at a press conference on March 6, Narek Karapetyan, a Board  member of the  party, presented the fourth step of the "5 Steps  toward a Strong Armenia" economic concept, which focuses on state  support for agriculture. Specifically, it envisages the creation of  two procurement stations in each district of the republic, enabling  farmers to sell their produce close to their homes. Furthermore, the  price of products will be pre determined at the beginning of the  year, allowing farmers to forecast their expenses and income.   According to Narek Karapetyan, the country's farmers constantly  encounter challenges when trying to sell their produce during the  season, and the state has yet to  resolve this issue.

The "Strong Armenia" party board member continued that there is a  high demand for Armenian agricultural products in neighboring  countries. However, producers  constantly face the problem of  exporting due to the lack of intermediaries. These intermediaries  would be procurement stations, that will purchase the produce, store  it, and then either resell it or export it. This applies to  vegetables, fruits, and meat products. In the country there are many  farms, but no established sales system. The establishment of several  stations will lead to competition among them, and, consequently, to  favorable prices. In the Ararat Valley, procurement stations would  purchase fruits and vegetables, in Gegharkunik and Shirak, meat, and  in other regions, potatoes and grains.

Narek Karapetyan noted that in the past eight years, the agricultural  sector has seen a 10% decline.  Currently, the country's agricultural  sector hasn't  reached  the 2018 level yet, and budget allocations  for agricultural development for 2026 have also been reduced.