40%-100% of the crop in 46 villages that suffered from the hail was actually damaged
Today Sergo Karapetyan, the Minister of Agriculture, and Armen Gevorgyan, the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, urged the residents of 6 villages, who had blocked the main road leading to the region of Armavir and whose crop, among some 40 other villages’ crop, had been damaged by the heavy hail the other day, to wait until they reported to the President and Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia on the real size of damage in the next few days. The Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Agriculture met halfway the residents of Armavir who had organized a protest and blocked the road yet another time, since the latter, not believing the Cabinet’s promises to help the villager, had decided to go to the capital on foot and continue the demonstration outside the Presidential Palace. In response to a question of www.aravot.am what agreements the Minister of Agriculture and Deputy Prime Minister had reached with residents of Armavir, Nver Petrosyan, an assistant to the governor of Armavir, said: “They reached an agreement with villagers that Mr. Gevorgyan would present the full picture to the Prime Minister and the President; the Cabinet’s program was discussed in the National Assembly today, so it couldn’t be done today. Commissions are established; we have already reported on the size of the damage. They arranged with the people that they would announce on Thursday, at the latest; I don’t know whether it will be in the form of assistance or compensation.” When we noted that this was no news, they had already informed villagers that they would report on the size of the damage and asked what had made them organize a demonstration again, Mr. Petrosyan said: “Villagers were impatient during those days when commission members were working, trying to determine to what extent each of crops had suffered etc. There are 46 communities; time was needed to gather that information. Everything is clear now, and it will be presented in the upcoming days.” As to what was the total damage suffered by residents of 46 villages from the hail, Mr. Petrosyan didn’t mention a specific number, he just said that 40%-100% of the crop had been damaged.
Lusine BUDAGHYAN
Photo by A1+
