Misak Misakyan, mayor of the rural community of Aknashen in Armavir Marz, agrees with local residents that the quality of insecticides purchased from the market are substandard and not at all effective when it comes to battling insects that do harm to crops. "Our primary complaint deals with insecticides. As village mayor I can't inspect the insecticides that our residents buy and verify that they are what they claim to be. There usually is no expiration date and the chemicals have no effect at all. In fact, the new Agricultural Minster visited our area and said that everything must be done to see to it that villagers can buy insecticides directly from the manufacturer. If the ministry was to assume the distribution of insecticides, such needed quality control would be greatly enhanced," said Aknashen's mayor. He also questions the quality of fertilizer imported from Georgia. "True, the regional governor distributed fertilizer at reduced prices at the beginning of the year, but the product wasn't all that good. 34% nitrogen was written on the outside of the sacks, but how can I be sure?" Abraham Hakobyan, who heads the Armavir branch of the Ministry of Agriculture's Department of of Botany, refutes the claims of the mayor. "Every bag of insecticide must carry a production and expiration date. All insecticides imported into Armenia must undergo laboratory testing. It must all meet certain quality standards. Insecticides must be used correctly and at the most effective time. Also, insects build up immunity to certain insecticides and it is necessary to replace them occasionally." Mr. Hakobyan stated that 174 insecticide samples were taken from 15 stores in 2008 and were tested. All the samples, he claimed, were found to meet the required standards. 60 insecticide types have been tested this year and all have passed. Turning to the suspicions expressed by Aknashen Mayor Misakyan regarding the 34% nitrogen content of Georgian fertilizer, Mr. Hakobyan said that the firm "Dvin Concern", a large importer of Georgian fertilizer, also tests the product before delivery. "There is not one bag of fertilizer in Armenia that hasn’t been tested."