According to Minister of Agriculture Gerasim Alaverdyan climatic conditions have lead to the international price rise in wheat, but the official says Armenia is not facing a shortage of wheat reserves.

The Minister has recently met with eight Armenian importers of wheat recently, who told him that they have been making purchases of sufficient wheat to meet domestic demand. This year, Armenia expects a 280,000 ton crop of various cereal grains, of which 120,000-130,000 is wheat. »»»»»

Today, a press conference was scheduled to take place in Yerevan where MP Lernik Aleksanyan and Hrach Berberyan, President of the RoA Agrarian Union, were to discuss the rise in the price of agricultural prices, notably the potato. (In eastern Armenian, the word for potato is kartofil, a Russian term, and not getnakhndzor).

Anyway, Mr. Berberyan never showed up; he was in Lori Marz and couldn’t make it back to Yerevan. Thus MP Aleksanyan, of the ruling Armenian Republican Party, proceeded to expound his views as to why potato prices had gone up. For a start, he argues that the price hike couldn’t be blames on the ‘oligarchs’, but rather market conditions and the vagaries of the climate. »»»»»

At a press briefing today, Armenian MP Lernik Aleksanyan stated that he had no idea about the land holdings of National Assembly President Hovik Abrahamyan in Ararat Marz. Aleksanyan was queried about the sharp increase in the potato price in Armenian markets.

“How the heck should I know about what Abrahamyan owns? He’s a sharp businessman and a good organizer and he’s done a good job at organizing the parliament. The Constitution allows anyone to own as much land as they want,” was MP Aleksanyan’s response. »»»»»

Chaired by Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan, the Government met in a session at the Office of Government. The meeting approved a package of amendments to the law on profit tax and six other legal acts, a set of draft laws on licensing fees to reduce the number of taxpayer statements, prescribe single terms for return submittal. Emphasizing that this will help improve the business environment as a whole, the Prime Minister said that every detail of the government’s new legislative initiatives should be given due media coverage.

Armenia Tries to Adopt EU Standards to Break Into EU Market

By Suren Deheryan

According to Marina Harutyunyan, a representative of a company exporting natural juices from Armenia to the EU countries, they export to Europe more for the sake of bolstering the company image rather than for gaining profit.

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The government today defined a set of standards regarding the importation of buffalo meat from India.

Not only must Indian meat producers have at least ten years of industry experience, but they also must have a slaughterhouse that meets international quality standards and appropriate freezing capacities, in addition to other requirements. The government also defined the tasks to be carried out by a government inspector scheduled to be sent to India.

The GeoProMining company has allotted 5 million USD, within the framework  of its technical re-equipment program, to expand its Sotk mine operation during this current year .

The program includes capital investments in technical re-equipment of the mine to improve the technical-economic level of production through introduction of advanced equipment and technology, mechanization and automation of production, modernization and replacement of outdated and physically worn-out equipment with new, more productive equipment, and also to improve the common facilities and support services. »»»»»

The RoA State Commission for Economic Protection has launched a study of media reports centering on price hikes in imported and domestic poultry.

Nelli Danielyan, the Commission’s Press Secretary, told reports today that a court case will be started if preliminary findings warrant such a move. Recent media reports state that domestic poultry prices have risen by 6-7% and imported meat by 10%.

Grisha Baghiyan, who heads the State Food Safety and Veterinary Inspectorate with the Armenian Ministry of Agriculture, has told Hetq that the importation of meat from two provinces in China has been prohibited.

The likely cause is the outbreak of “O” type foot and mouth disease in pig herds last March in the southern province of Guangdong.

The RoA State Commission for the Protection of Economic Competition (SCPEC), during its investigation of the vodka market, has brought charges against “Saleks Group”, a company owned by MP Samvel Aleksanyan, six times and has hit the legislator with penalties.

These indictments have been well covered by Armenian TV. What the stations fail to mention is that Samvel Aleksanyan has never paid any of the fines. »»»»»

A well-informed Hetq source inside the Yerevan Brandy Company, whose main brand is Ararat, reports that during the past few years large amounts of distilled spirits have mysteriously disappeared from the plant’s vaults. The source claims that 300-400 tons has gone missing just within the past year alone.

The source says that an internal investigation is underway and that the head of security and other employees under his jurisdiction have been sacked. »»»»»

Most meat imported from India to Armenia is “unfit for human consumption”

In 2009, the Armenian government declared that frozen buffalo meat had been discovered in meat imported from India to Armenia. It turns out that there are 17 companies in India that are certified and meet required standards and that they supply 85% of the market. »»»»»

Agarac Copper-Molybdenum Combine summarized the interim results of implementation of anti-crisis investment programs under the Government of Armenia’s stabilization loan of $ 14 million. »»»»»

The World Bank Board of Executive Directors has approved a US$ 40 million loan for the second Additional Financing for the Lifeline Road Improvement Project (LRIP-AF2) for Armenia. This project will assist the government of Armenia in its on-going efforts to improve accessibility of the country’s main road network for the rural population and to create employment. »»»»»

The regions of Shirak, Aragatzotn, Armavir and Ararat were particularly hit hard by the heavy rains and hailstorms that Armenia experienced in the spring. Even though the government allocates monies from the budget for the installation of new anti-hail stations, rural residents are still not insured for hail damage to their crops and property.

And these stations aren’t cheap. Each cost about 9 million AMD. There are two companies that are licensed to install such stations, one attached to Ministry of Emergency Situations and Barva, Ltd, a private concern. The competition is fierce between the two for government contracts but local residents do not benefit. »»»»»