RURAL MAYOR COMPLAINS ABOUT INSECTICIDE AND FERTILIZER QUALITY
Grisha Balasanyan

20 09/08/27 | 12:42

Misak Misakyan, mayor of the rural community of Aknashen in Armavir
Marz, agrees with local residents that the quality of insecticides
purchased from the market are substandard and not at all effective
when it comes to battling insects that do harm to crops.

"Our primary complaint deals with insecticides. As village mayor I
can’t inspect the insecticides that our residents buy and verify that
they are what they claim to be. There usually is no expiration date
and the chemicals have no effect at all. In fact, the new Agricultural
Minster visited our area and said that everything must be done to
see to it that villagers can buy insecticides directly from the
manufacturer. If the ministry was to assume the distribution of
insecticides, such needed quality control would be greatly enhanced,"
said Aknashen’s mayor.

He also questions the quality of fertilizer imported from
Georgia. "True, the regional governor distributed fertilizer at
reduced prices at the beginning of the year, but the product wasn’t
all that good. 34% nitrogen was written on the outside of the sacks,
but how can I be sure?"

Abraham Hakobyan, who heads the Armavir branch of the Ministry of
Agriculture’s Department of of Botany, refutes the claims of the mayor.

"Every bag of insecticide must carry a production and expiration
date. All insecticides imported into Armenia must undergo laboratory
testing. It must all meet certain quality standards. Insecticides must
be used correctly and at the most effective time. Also, insects build
up immunity to certain insecticides and it is necessary to replace
them occasionally."

Mr. Hakobyan stated that 174 insecticide samples were taken from 15
stores in 2008 and were tested. All the samples, he claimed, were
found to meet the required standards. 60 insecticide types have been
tested this year and all have passed.

Turning to the suspicions expressed by Aknashen Mayor Misakyan
regarding the 34% nitrogen content of Georgian fertilizer, Mr. Hakobyan
said that the firm "Dvin Concern", a large importer of Georgian
fertilizer, also tests the product before delivery. "There is not
one bag of fertilizer in Armenia that hasn’t been tested."

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress