STRONG WINDS FRUSTRATE APRICOT GROWERS

Armenpress

YEREVAN, JUNE 29, ARMENPRESS: Apricot growing farmers in Armenian
province of Ararat have given up the bulk of their hopes to make
ultimate gains from an unprecedented yield of the fruit this year after
bursts of strong wind a couple of days ago landed apricots on ground ,
forcing them to sell their crops to a local cannery at lower prices.

Sergo Karapetian, the director of Artashat cannery, however, assured
the farmers the plant could procure as many as 100 metric tons of
apricot daily.

The plant pays half of the money for procured apricot on the spot and
the rest within ten days, but farmers say the hot weather is spoiling
quickly the fruit.

Armenia expects this year a significantly bigger crop due to unusually
favorable weather conditions- nearly 400,000 tons of grapes, apples
and other fruit, 54 per cent more than last year. Apricots estimated
to total 80,000t this year.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress