415 PEDIGREE CALVES WITH HIGH MILK YIELD CAPACITY TO BE IMPORTED FROM EUROPE INTO ARMENIA THIS YEAR

Noyan Tapan

Ma y 21, 2008

YEREVAN, MAY 21, NOYAN TAPAN. 415 Holstein, Simmental and Schviz
pedigree calves with a high milk yield capacity will be imported this
year from Europe into Armenia with state budgetary allocations of
500 mln drams (about 1.6 mln YSD). NT correspondent was informed by
the head of the Cattle Breeding and Pedigree Stock Farming Department
of the RA Ministry of Agriculture Ashot Hovhannisian that as of May
8, 258 calves were already brought into Armenia and given to 4 big
cattle breeding farms of the country. In his words, another group of
157 calves will be imported into Armenia in June.

In his words, the calves will be leased to farms. In particular,
farmers will have to pay the cost of animals during 4 years: 10%
of the cost in the 1st year, 20% – in the 2nd, 30% in the 3rd year
and 40% – in the 4th year.

The department head said that big farmers of Armenia have expressed
an intention to import another 136 pedigree calves with their own
resources.

The ministry of agriculture will assist the farmers with selecting
the calves on the spot and transporting them.

According to him, 196 calves were imported into Armenia in 2007. Their
average daily milk yield made 23-25 kg, exceeding threefold the
average milk yield of domestically bred cows.

The government-approved Program on Cattle Breeding Development
envisages increasing the annual number of imported calves to two
thousand by 2015.
From: Baghdasarian