GROSS AGRICULTURAL OUTPUT OF ARMENIA AMOUNTS TO 515 BILLION DRAMS IN JANUARY-NOVEMBER 2009

Noyan Tapan
Dec 22, 2009

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 22, NOYAN TAPAN. Armenia’s gross agricultural output
amounted to 515 billion drams in January-November 2009, declining by
0.2% on the same period of 2008. RA Minister of Agriculture Gerasim
Alaverdian said at the press conference held on December 22 to
summarize the 2009 results that in the indicated period the output of
plant growing made 333.5 billion drams (0.2% growth), while the gross
output of cattle breeding amounted to 181 billion 700 million drams
(0.9% fall on the same months of last year).

According to him, the increase in plant growing output was due to
better harvests of grapes and fruit, whereas the fall in the cattle
breeding output was caused by a loss of cattle in late 2008, which
resulted in a decline in the production of meat, meat products, milk,
and dairy products.

The minister said that 298,100 ha out of 456 thousand ha of arable
land in Armenia were under crops this year, including 171 thousand
ha sown with grain, 32 thousand ha sown with potato, 23.5 thousand
ha under truck crops, 6 thousand ha sown with melons and gourds,
and 63.2 thousand ha under forage crops. Wheat and potato production
has declined this year.

G. Alaverdian spoke about the efficient development of seed growing and
livestock farming and the installation of anti-hail stations as the
agricultural achievements in 2009. Under the government decision 250
anti-hail stations shall be installed in Armenia by 2013. 550 million
drams will be allocated from the state budget for this work in 2010.