Over 20 Million Loan Taken for Wheat Sowing and Livestock Purchase, Now Just 100 Meters from Azerbaijani Post: A 50/50 Gamble

Tigran Hovhannisyan, one of the 160 residents of the Shikahogh village in the enlarged community of Kapan, has three school-aged children and lives with his mother and wife. Before the village became border-adjacent, their everyday agricultural life was fulfilling; he managed to provide for his family through farming and livestock activities. However, since November 10, Hovhannisyan's life has changed dramatically.

According to “Factinfo,” frequent gunfire has left residents facing a stark reality: the road to Kapan is no longer safe. They are forced to refrain from traveling on that road during the evening for the safety of themselves and their families. Despite the presence of peacekeepers monitoring two segments of the road, the residents have no guarantees of safety. “When we go to the city, we pass by the Turks. There are no actions taken on that section of the road, but as humans, there is a safety issue,” he noted.

A portion of Hovhannisyan’s farmland, approximately 52 hectares, is also at risk. The future of his cultivated fields is uncertain; he has sown wheat that is now located right at the border. “The Azerbaijani post is just 100 meters from my land. I own lands in various locations. Time will tell if we can harvest the crops or not,” he expressed.

The residents of Shikahogh have suffered significant losses. Many have taken out agricultural loans, purchased livestock, and cultivated land, but now they are preparing to part ways with their animals. Some questions will hopefully be answered with the arrival of spring. “Everything is on credit. I’ve just acquired a new ‘Belarus’ tractor, which cost 20 million drams, and I’ve spent just as much building a giant barn that is now empty. I took out a loan to buy livestock. We are still keeping the animals, but we are reducing their numbers. Now, at a minimum, we need to formulate a new plan to help the people, such as providing special breed cows that we can keep in barns and feed with food brought from elsewhere because many won’t be able to use the pastures; going to the pastures is risky. Right now, we keep the livestock in barns; there are posts in the pastures, and we cannot utilize them. It may happen that the livestock will cross over; anything is possible,” he said.

If they are unable to harvest the crops, the extent of the losses will be enormous. However, residents are hopeful that they will be able to gather their harvest. “Now I sometimes cultivate the land close to the Turks’ territories. It’s a 50/50 operation. If something happens, who knows what will happen, or if they find out, what will they do? They need to do something for the people so that the people do not get closer to the border,” he added.

Hovhannisyan calls for the government's attention and urges them not to be indifferent, asking for help in acquiring specially bred livestock that farmers will pay for over several years. He also points out that an alternative to utilizing the land could be greenhouses, but all of this is something that the farmers cannot accomplish on their own due to a lack of funds.