I Am Losing Between 500 kg and 1 Ton of Grapes Daily: Protest Outside Government Building

Grape growers from the Armavir region are currently staging a protest in front of the government building. They demand a resolution to the grape procurement issue.

The grape growers state that they are attempting to address food security problems, as the current government has declared grape growing as one of the strategic sectors of agriculture.

The growers recall that in 2018, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan visited their region and promised that there would be no issues with grape procurement in the future. This means that grape growers should have concrete knowledge by March-April about which factories they will be delivering their grapes to, in what quantities, and at what prices.

“Gagik Tsarukyan's ‘Noy’ multi-group is one of the major players in the sector, and not accepting his grapes will create social issues. If the government were proactive and knew its responsibilities, it should have clarified its relationships with the major players 2-3 months ago. Grapes are already spoiling. I have 30 tons of grapes, and I am losing between 500 kg and 1 ton of grapes daily,” said one grape grower.