VIDEO. "There is a shepherd problem" - Pashinyan

The government has approved a program to promote livestock farming. Minister of Economy Gevorg Papoyan has reported that as part of this program, 10,000 heads of sheep and goats will be imported. Within the framework of the "Livestock Productivity Improvement Pilot Program," the artificial insemination process will improve the genetic traits of cattle and enhance livestock productivity. Meanwhile, the "Beekeeping Development Pilot Program" will enrich the regions with 10,000 bee families.

Commenting on this sector, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan noted that sheep farming is one of the most profitable sectors. "However, we are still unable to encourage citizens to develop large-scale sheep farming. Instead, our data shows a high import of lambs, followed by subsequent exports," he said.

Addressing the reasons behind this issue, he mentioned, "Exporting lambs is one of the most profitable areas, and as I was trying to understand why the herd size is not increasing, I received perhaps the most unexpected answer: there is a shepherd problem. They cannot find shepherds because sheep are the kind of livestock that need to be grazed in pastures by shepherds."