Grape processing companies owe some 2 milliard AMD to farmers across the country for 2016, Armenian Minister of Agriculture Ignati Arakelyan told reporters at a briefing on Thursday.
“We plan to develop financial mechanisms to allow the farmers to receive the payment for the processed product. This appears to be a serious issue and one of the main challenges ahead of our ministry,” Arakelyan told reporters.
The minister then informed an agreement had been reached between the farmers and the representatives of the processing companies [over the debt payment], while the ministry is set to vet the process.
“Ministry of Agriculture is ready to apply all the available levers in case the payments are not received on time,” Arakelyan said.
