Yerevan Municipality Acquires Sakura Seedlings for 65,000-72,000 AMD

On March 23, the Yerevan Municipality's "Greening and Environmental Protection" SNCO announced the start of works to replace "aging, nearly functionally obsolete trees with viable ornamental trees." The work commenced at the Cascade, where the removal of mature trees sparked a wave of protests among citizens.

The "Greening and Environmental Protection" SNCO will plant Sakura trees instead of the felled trees in the Cascade. "Hetq" has determined which company the municipality procured these seedlings from and the total cost involved.

According to data from the state's procurement system, armeps.am, on February 14, 2023, the SNCO signed a procurement contract with "Green Fairy" LLC. The company agreed to supply a total of 150 Sakura seedlings for the stated amount.

As per the annex to the contract, the SNCO acquired 100 seedlings of the "Japanese Royal Burgundy Sakura" variety at a price of 72,490 AMD each, 30 seedlings of the "Japanese Shirofugen Sakura" variety at 62,490 AMD each, and 20 seedlings of the "Japanese Shidarezakura Sakura" variety at 65,490 AMD each. This means the Yerevan Municipality was expected to pay a total of 10,433,500 AMD for 150 Sakura trees.

However, on February 27, a new agreement was signed between the SNCO and "Green Fairy" LLC, stating that only 70 Sakura would be delivered instead of 150. The adjusted supply includes 50 seedlings at 72,490 AMD each and 20 seedlings at 65,490 AMD each, bringing the total contract value to 4,934,000 AMD.

According to registry data on legal entities, "Green Fairy" LLC was established in February 2012 by Balabek Kocharyan in the Nor village of the Kotayk region. Since 2021, the company has been managed by his brother, Narek Kocharyan.

In an interview with "Hetq," Armen Begoyan, the director of the "Greening and Environmental Protection" SNCO, stated that 46 of the acquired Sakura trees have been planted in the Cascade, while the remaining trees are to be planted in public parks across Yerevan to enhance the floral landscape. In total, according to Armen Begoyan, the plan includes the planting of 2,500 trees as part of efforts to replace aging trees with viable ones.