Armenian farmers demand that authorities resolve export problem

Farmers of the Armavir region blocked the road near the village of Khanjyan, demanding a solution to the problem of selling peaches and other agricultural products.

According to the participants of the protest, the harvest is spoiling, while the purchase prices being offered do not cover their costs.

"The problem is obvious, but it is not being solved. The harvest is spoiling, so there can be no delay with purchases. The villagers are suffering great losses, and it is impossible to keep quiet about the situation," one of the participants of the protest said.

The head of the Armavir community, Varsham Sargsyan, arrived at the scene. He stated that some of the protest participants are trying to politicize the problem. According to him, the farmers were invited to discuss the current situation, but they refused the meeting and after that blocked the road.

The villagers disagreed with this. They claim that a meeting at the regional administration did take place, but no concrete solution was found.

Sargsyan reported that an agreement had been reached on the purchase of part of the harvest by dried fruit producers, and the rest of the products by local buyers.

The farmers, for their part, stated that the purchase prices are too low. According to them, peaches for export are being accepted from them at about 100 drams ($0.25) per kilogram.

"Such a price is not profitable for us. The government pays exporters 250 drams per kilogram, but they buy from us at 100 drams. This is unthinkable. It would be better if the products were purchased directly from us at least at 150 drams," one of the participants of the protest said.

Problems with selling the harvest arose against the backdrop of restrictions on supplies of a number of categories of Armenian products to Russia. Rosselkhoznadzor explained them by complaints about the quality and safety of the goods.

The restrictions were introduced in stages. As of May 22, the import of flowers was banned; as of May 30, fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, greens, and strawberries. As of June 2, the restrictions extended to stone fruit crops and fresh grapes; as of June 3, to pome fruit crops, eggplants, potatoes, and dried fruits; and as of June 12, to all products subject to quarantine.

In addition, as of June 2, the certification of live fish and fish products for export to Russia was suspended, and as of July 27, supplies of Armenian dairy products were restricted.

Source: Sputnik Armenia