Friday, 16 July 2010
All-round support for farming expansion
Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan received International Foundation of Agricultural Development (IFAD) Armenia Program Coordinator Henning Pedersen. In its capacity of a specialized UN agency, the IFAD promotes poverty reduction in rural areas worldwide.
Henning Pedersen presented the IFAD program of rural capacity building and the timetable for program approval. The program has two main components: Fruit and Nuts Production Support and Rural Infrastructures. The first component is meant to promote sustainable nuts production facilities and contractual gardening countrywide, with the second one providing for the repair and reinstatement of public utilities and infrastructures (gas pipelines, irrigation and drinking water mains, rural roads and so on).
This USD 52mn-budgeted program as scheduled for implementation in 2011-2015 will have the IFAD as the key source of financing, with the balance to be ensured by the OFID and the Government of Armenia. The program will affect Shirak, Lori, Tavush, Aragatsotni, Gegharkunik, Vaiots-Dzor and Syunik marzes o Armenia. It has to be approved yet by the Board of IFAD.
Highly appreciative of the expected impact of this program, the Prime Minister stressed the need for including organic husbandry-related actions in the first component.
The IFAD has so far carried out 4 programs in Armenia: the World Bank-co-financed irrigation system rehabilitation program, the farming development program in Armenia’s northeastern regions, the rural service program and the rural area development program.
