Armenian agriculture declines in 2010 – minister sums up the year

All sectors of Armenia's agriculture recorded a decline in 2010, Armenian Minister of Agriculture Gerasim Alaverdyan has said.

Speaking at a news conference on Friday, he said the decline in agriculture makes 14.5%, with the major losses being observed in plant growing.

According to Alaverdyan, irrigated lands in the country have been reduced by 16 hectares , causing a major harm especially to grain and potato production. Potato harvest, he said, has been 490.00 tons, against last year's 590.000.

Alaverdyan also said Armenia has started the implementation of the 2010-14 seed-growing program aimed at extending the arable lands and increasing grain production.

Under the government funding, high-quality grain seeds were imported from Russia and distributed among villagers in Armenia and the Nagorno Karabakh Republic, he added.

Fruit production has decreased three-fold, making 125 tons, while vegetable production decreased from 800.000 to 690.000 tons, the minister said, adding that only vine production has increased to 200.000 tons against last year's 215.000.

Speaking of cattle breeding, Alaverdyan said this sector this year decreased by 1%, but given the increased volumes of meat consumption, it is expected to grow by 1.1% by late December.

The minister also said that the program envisages the construction of anti-hail stations whose number will reach 250 by 2012.

He also spoke of the working team's high professionalism, adding that it had very little or no fault for this year's decline.