AGREEMENT SIGNED BETWEEN MCA-ARMENIA AND THE CONSORTIUM HEADED BY ACDI/VOCA (USA)

ArmRadio.am
13.02.2007 16:12

Millennium Challenge Account – Armenia (MCA-Armenia) and the consortium
of the following companies – ACDIVOCA (USA), ARCADIS Euroconsult
(Holland), and VISTAA (Armenia) – signed a consulting services
agreement, according to which MCA-Armenia will implement the Irrigated
Agriculture Water-to-Market activity through the consortium headed by
ACDI/VOCA. The Agreement signing ceremony took place at the RA Ministry
of Agriculture with the participation of Minister of Agriculture David
Lokyan. The Agreement was signed by MCA-Armenia CEO Ara Hovsepyan
and the members of the consortium – ACDI/VOCA President Carl Leonard,
ARCADIS Euroconsult Marketing Director Artashes Ghandilyan (Holland)
and VISTAA Director Meri Nikoghosyan (Armenia).

The USD 235.65 million Compact signed between the Millennium
Challenge Corporation (MCC) and the Government of Armenia includes
projects, which aim to reduce rural poverty in Armenia. According
to the agreement signed today, the consortium will fulfill all
consultancy activities necessary for implementation of Water-to-Market
activity. The agreement is for 56 months and totals USD 18.5 million.

The following will be implemented within the framework of
Water-to-Market activity: introduction of new on-farm water
management technologies to improve water usage and management in
farms, transition to higher-value agriculture production by investing
in increased cropping intensity and more productive livestock, as
well as through the use of appropriate equipment and technologies,
post-harvest technologies, processing and marketing, provision of
loans to MCA-Armenia Water-to-Market activity beneficiaries.

In order to reach the targets of the Water-to-Market activity, farmers
will be trained and demonstrative farms will be created. In addition,
new technologies will be introduced and agricultural product markets
will be studied.