TOWARDS SPRING
Norayr Hovsepian

Azat Artsakh Daily
Published on March 17, 2008
NKR Republic

Spring is already in its rights. Parallel with started agricultural
works, an attempt is made "to make whole" the consequences of
unprecendented frosts in the sphere of agriculture. And how reliable
the alarms about the incidents of freezing, we asked the vice-minister
of agriculture Vladimir Zaqiyan to explain. Our interlocuter has
agreed that there are really some problems. More, if some branches of
agriculture have incured a loss much or less from freezing, instead,
in some branches "a successful start" has been fixed. "Grain sowing has
passed successfully in winter: it snowed much, -informed Mr Zakiyan,
– and winter was not so frosty, that could damage the sowing. -18C
is considered already critical for grain sowing, but the minimal
temperature didn’t exceed -15C. Let’s inform, that the general size
of realized autumn sowing has compiled 32 thousand hectares (previous
year – 47 thousand hectares). Our interlocuter has estimated this fact
positive. But situation in the sphere of vine-growing is other. "We
have rather serious problems in the sphere of vine-growing. On the
same vine one part of buds was damaged by frost, one part – was not",-
informed V.Zakiyan.

By his information, freezing has generally compiled 30-35 per cent. It
naturally will have also an effect on harvest. Mr Zakiyan has assured,
that this winter didn’t do essential damage to the sphere of cattle
breeding too. Here, with such indexes the sphere of agriculture has
overcome the unprecendented cold winter. The works of spring sowing
are already in the process. About 1500 tons of nitrogenous fertilizer
were imported in the republic. The price of 1 kg fertilizer is 104
drams. Though state assistance will be not limitted only thus much. An
assistance is foreseen in the question of requiring seeds of spring
sowing cultured plants. 274 tons of early-ripening seed potatoes have
been already imported, the price of 1 kg – 230 drams.It is foreseen
to import 30 tons for Martuni and Kashatagh regions. An import of
seed corn, pea, bean and spelt is also included within the scopes of
the same program.