A NUMBER OF LONG-TERM PROGRAMS TO BE IMPLEMENTED IN ARMENIA’S
AGRICULTURE IN 2008

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 2, NOYAN TAPAN. By the 2008 draft state budget, about
7 bln 600 mln drams (about 23 mln USD) will be allocated to
agriculture, which is more by 1.2 bln drams than in 2007 (the growth
makes 24%), the RA minister of agriculture Davit Lokian stated this at
the November 2 joint sitting of the NA standing committees. In his
words, budgetary resources will be spent on programs of keeping and
developing the agricultural sector, which will be implemented in three
directions.

Under the seed growing program (to which 150 mln drams has been
allocated), the private sector will receive co-financing for production
of high-quality seeds to grow wheat, barley, gourds and melons and with
the aim of making Armenia self-sufficient in terms of
first-reproduction seeds.

The next big program is related to development of cattle breeding with
the aim of ensuring an annual production of up to 1 mln liters of milk
in Armenia by 2015. For this purpose, in addition to improvement of the
"Caucasian grey" species, it is envisaged to import some European
species into the country. According to D. Lokian, 200 such animals will
be brought from Austria to Armenia soon and distributed to farmers as
4-year loans without an interest. It is planned to have nearly 35
thousand head of these animals in 2015.

The third program envisages subsidizing of farms working in unfavorable
climatic conditions. About 100 thousand farms of 260 villages will be
included in this programs with the financing of 1 bln 635 mln drams.