SOUR GRAPES: NO BUYERS FOR VERIN ARTASHAT’S 430 VINEYARD CROP
Grisha Balasanyan
t/
2010/02/15 | 16:04
Farmers can’t pay off loans when 3,500 tons of grapes remain in
refrigerators
Everyone in the village of Verin Artashat, in Armavir Marz, is unhappy
about their lot in life. Almost all have put their homes and land up
as collateral for loans.
"There’s absolutely no one who cares about the villager. The government
sees us as if we are lost children, to be neglected," says Arous
Shahoyan, who owns a 4,900 meter vineyard in the village.
Mrs. Shahoyan has been forced to take out loans from the "Finka"
and "Aregak" credit agencies to make a go of his farm. He took out
a $2,500 loan from "Finka" and has already paid back 1.8 million AMD
on the "Aregak" loan. He has 600,000 left to pay on the latter.
Creditors demand AMD in payment
Her vineyard is still on the books as collateral. "We arranged the
loan with "Finka" in dollars but they have demanded Armenian drams
as payment. They check the rates each time. They demand drams even
though the contract specified dollars. Hey, they make the rules as
they go and the poor villager must comply," said Mrs. Shahoyan.
But grape growers like Mrs. Shahoyan haven’t been able to sell their
last harvest and thus can’t make the loan payments. Mrs. Shahoyan has
stored his unsold grapes in boxes in a refrigerated case hoping for
the day when he can sell them. Out of 500 crates of grapes, he has
only been able to sell off 100.
Local farmers say they had a good crop last season but that the large
firms only bought from those growers with whom they had contracts.
Those with no contract waited for Georgian buyers but they never came.
Arous Shahoyan was one of the unlucky ones; he had no contract with
the plants. "Since we didn’t have any contract, we couldn’t sell
our grapes. We couldn’t even get a foot in the door of the factory,"
he said.
Buyers pay less than crop is worth
Farmers from Verin Artashat argue that even those who did sell to
the factories came out with a loss since they only got 80 drams for
one kilo of grapes worth 104 drams.
"The whole village has debts for insecticides. At least those selling
the insecticides had enough of a conscience to let us have the stuff
on credit in order to use in a timely fashion. I won’t even tell you
about the debts we owe for land rents. Now they tell us either pay up
or we’ll take you to court. Where can the poor farmer get the money
to pay? We’re even ashamed to go to the village mayor for help. Why
must we be placed in such a bind? Why can’t we sell our grapes in
order to pay off our loans?" added Mrs. Shahoyan.
She’s afraid that he won’t be able to make the loan payments and
that the credit agency will seize his vineyard. "Finka" also made an
inventory of the household goods and the woman is scared that they’ll
repo them as well.
Farmers demand solution from government
"Our government must sit down and think this matter through
intelligently. They must devise a plan for our grapes to be sold
because we survive on our grape crop. We have no other income. At
least they should grant us a few years leeway with the loan payments.
Insecticides have also gone up in price," Mrs. Shahoyan said.
The farmer adds that those with refrigeration units are running them
24 hours a day and the utility bills are skyrocketing. "We use sulphur
to preserve the grapes and our health is being damaged. Our lungs are
shot and you know that sulfur is a carcinogen. It’s essential that
the government come up with a solution and fast because we farmers
are swamped," Mrs. Shahoyan said.
Mrs. Shahoyan works at the Yerevan Emergency Unit and receives a
monthly salary of 35,000 AMD ($90). She complained to us about her
pitifully low salary and the fact that she has to care for two ailing
pensioners whose monthly prescriptions cost 100,000 AMD.
"They receive pensions just a bit above 40,000. That doesn’t even cover
the medical bills. My father can’t even get a needed eye operation
because he doesn’t have the proper paperwork to get on the government
assisted medical waiting list. Each operation costs 220,000 AMD,"
Mrs. Shahoyan said.
Who can afford this medicine?
During our conversation, her father, Misha Shahoyan, showed us a
small drug vial that cost 2,000 AMD. "Can I afford such medicine on
a regular basis given the pension I get? My sight is already on the
wane," said the elderly man.
He says that the family has stopped using gas and now burns wood to
heat the home. The gas bill was too much for them. They pointed to
the apricot trees in the garden that they chop down for fuel.
Ashot Ghazaryan, the Mayor of Verin Artashat, told us that the general
welfare of the village wasn’t all that bad and that most residents
lived comfortably, if not in luxury. He agreed that there was a problem
selling the grape harvest. There are 430 vineyards in the village.
"In past years, the Georgians would come and buy up the grapes. The
border was wide open. Now they tell us that the Georgian government
has banned grape imports from outside. It’s a huge problem. We have
3,500 tons of grapes in refrigeration and it’s possible they’ll just
go to waste," said Mayor Ghazaryan.
The mayor assured us that he had contacted the proper authorities the
day the grapes were harvested but that the problem remains unresolved.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
