Tuesday, 11 October 2011
Tigran Sargsyan: “Not only agriculture but also countryside development should be a matter of concern”
Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan traveled to Jermuk town of Armenia to attend the first conference of rural communities, organized in the frame of local self-government 15th anniversary celebrations.
Tigran Sargsyan said the conference has received a positive response by the heads of communities and a proposal has been voiced to make it traditional.
“This will be very useful for both the government and the heads of communities. The discussions and round tables held during the forum will enable the participants to state and see which issues are of primary importance to communities.” Harmonious regional development was said to be a burning issue which needs addressing as soon as possible. The overload of economic facilities in Yerevan is an impediment to harmonious development both in the capital city and the provinces. The government’s steps provide for favorable conditions for community development.”
The government was said to have passed a comprehensive 10-year program of agriculture development. “Not only agriculture but also countryside development should be a matter of concern. This is due to the fact that today the development of agriculture is accompanied with sharp growth of efficiency: productivity is up, new associations, cooperative societies, large-scale enterprises are being created. The use of modern technologies makes is obvious that agriculture is getting less labor-extensive. This is a serious problem which means that not only should we care about developing agriculture, but also about generating new jobs in the countryside in order to prevent the seasonal outbound migration from our rural communities,” Tigran Sargsyan noted adding that the government should apply a greater focus on services and infrastructures in the countryside.
The head of government advised that agriculture grew this year due to favorable climatic conditions: “Anyhow, the growth was also due the sharp increase in both public and private investments into seed-breeding and lending subsidies. Sales promotion is another way of support. Those large-scale projects carried out in this sphere are taking effect. Large gardens and farming facilities are being created to compete with small and medium-size enterprises. This is due to provide a completely new farming environment over the next couple of years. The government will help first of all small and medium-size enterprises.”
The purpose of the conference is to promote sustainable development of rural communities through direct contacts, as well as exchange of experience and information between all the stakeholders.
