DUST SPOILS GRAPE
A1+
[07:41 pm] 19 September, 2007
Wine-growing is the main source of income for over 2000 residents of
Sovetakan Village, Armavir Marz. This year the crop was rather poor
because of a disease.
"The crop was poor last year but this year it is still poorer. Look
at the grape! It is of no use. Tomato cultivation is more profitable
than viticulture" said a Sovetakan resident Ruzan pointing at the
basket full of grape.
Grandmother Vard also complained of wine-growing. "We frequently cut
the branches and tie them, make injections every 15 days and gather
the crop as soon as grape matures. But despite all our precautions
and preventive measures most of the crop is spoilt."
The village residents state the disease is resulted by the strange
explosions near "Peros Plass" factory producing glass cans.
The explosions occur at midnight so that nobody could see them. I
don’t know what exactly they blow up. The point is that each explosion
results in yellow dust which harms the vineyard," said Gegham.
During our visit we found "Peros Plass" closed. There was no one in
sight. The taxi driver, who took us to the factory, said the residents
wanted to hold a protest action but so far they keep in silence.
Obviously, some top-rank officials back the factory owners," he said.
Today the village faces another problem. Villagers don’t know how
to realise their crop whereas the price of grape doesn’t go down 200
drams per a kilo.