Saturday, 10 September 2011
PM Visits Farm Produce Processing Company and Mining Industries In Syunik Marz
On the second day of his visit to Syunik marz, calling at a farm produce processing company and a number of mining industries in Syunik Marz, Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan familiarized himself with production processes and future programs.
First, the head of government visited Meghri cannery. The administration briefed the Premier on manufacturing processes and end products. Founded in 1930, the factory continues to be the only such entity in Meghri region. 70% of its output goes to the USA, Russia and Ukraine. This year the factory plans to triple the volume of sales of 2009 taking it up to AMD 200 million instead of the planned 113 million for the current year.
70 tons of fresh fruit were processed during the first 8 months of 2011 that is 3 times as much as in the same period of 2009.
The Armenian fund for economic development of rural areas has approved an investment program for the cannery earmarking some AMD 80 million to that end.
The management of the company believes that the stated growth in output is also caused by this very circumstance. In addition, the company looks forward to getting an AMD 40mn worth credit from “Investments for small and medium-size enterprises” universal credit organization. The proceeds of the loan will be used to complete ongoing civil works and replenish the stock of its circulating assets.
From Мегри the Prime Minister-led delegation headed for the Agarak copper-molybdenum combine which as of December, 2008 is owned by Geopromining Ltd. The head of government toured the combine getting acquainted with the facilities and production lines.
The company was said to take the volume of processed ore in 2012 up to 3.5 million tons from today’s 2.7 millions. To this end, the combine is being reorganized with the refurbishment activities to be completed by this yearend.
The volume of processed ore rose 1.8 million tons at the end of August, 2011. 18 thousand 900 tons of copper and 428 tons of molybdenum concentrate were manufactured. At this point, the company employs 912 people which makes one third of Agarak’s population.
The Prime Minister next called at the Kadjaran copper-molybdenum combine which extracts and processes 12.8 million tons of ore annually through opencast mining activities resulting in molybdenum oxide and ferromolybdenum that are used as steel-melt strengthening, thermo-stabilizing and anticorrosive components. The extracted ore is first processed at the ore-enriching unit of the factory then it is handed over to other processing entities at home and abroad.
The Premier’s next port of call was Aparazh Mining Ltd which is engaged in the manufacture of explosive materials.
Early this year, the company was accorded a 3-year VAT holiday extension for the goods and equipment imported under investment programs to the cost of AMD 300 million and over. Note that a new facility is being built by the company for the manufacture of industrial emulsion-based explosive materials with a total cost of about AMD 453 million.
