AGRICULTURAL INITIATIVE IN MARTAKERT
Srbuhi Vanian

Azat Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh Republic [NKR]
10 May 2006

Recently the NKR minister of agriculture Vahram Baghdassarian has
visited the United States. He reports several useful meetings with
local businessmen; during these meetings the investment policy of
the NKR government, the state of agricultural sector and legislation
were presented. V. Baghdassarian said in America they appreciated the
environment for investments in Karabakh as rather positive. There is
willingness to make investments here, some arrangements were reached
and some projects were discussed. The main purpose of the visit to the
Unites States was to reach an arrangement on creating an agricultural
machinery pool in the framework of the agricultural initiative of
Armenia Fund for the region of Martakert. Armenia Fund is carrying out
a program of reconstruction of the region of Martakert on the money
raised during the telethon 2005. Part of the donations will be spent
on agricultural projects in Martakert. V. Baghdassarian said three
years ago the fund organized the visit of a group of experts headed by
Andrea Pampanini to Karabakh, who studied the state of agriculture in
Karabakh and worked out a programme of reconstruction of agriculture in
Karabakh. “The programme includes different branches of agriculture. It
specifies activities, such as the use of new technologies,
purchase of agricultural machines, processing and production,” said
V. Baghdassarian. For the programme of Martakert, the minister of
agriculture said during the talks between A. Pampanini and the board
of trustees of the fund it was arranged to set up a company, which
will deal with the problems of cultivation of the privatized land. A
new machine pool will be created with new equipment and maintenance
facilities. The competition for the positions of the director and
accountant of the company has started. The minister of agriculture
said the company was set up simultaneously with the Agriculture
Support Fund.

Currently negotiations are going on with the government on where
the company will be based. “This company’s purpose is to guarantee
the cultivation of privatized land from tillage to harvest,” said
V. Baghdassarian. The minister of agriculture said it is also planned
to set up an association of farmers.

Recently an extension group has visited Karabakh, and the visit of the
board of trustees is planned to work out the final plan of activities.