A Cabinet meeting was held today, chaired by Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

The government approved a program of state support for 2022-2023 to develop intensive horticulture, introduce modern technologies and promote the cultivation of non-traditional high-value agricultural crops in Armenia.

The program will help increase the coverage of intensive orchards in the country, improve the quality of seedlings and end-products, enhance the level of intensification of industry, make a better use of land and water resources, prevent damage from natural disasters, boost productivity, as well as increase the volume of non-traditional agricultural products with high added value and improve Armenia’s competitive position in the international markets.

The program seeks to create through mechanisms of state support, in particular through affordable credit and partial reimbursement of costs, favorable conditions for intensive viticulture, modern technology-based intensive orchards, vineyards and berry plantations, cultivation of non-traditional high value crops, as well as for construction of water reservoirs, modern irrigation systems and application of hail-proof networks.

The program envisages developing 500ha-wide intensive orchards annually with an estimated average investment of about 15 billion drams (note that the average cost of 1 hectare of orchard through the use of hail-proof networks is 29.8 million drams). As a result, the volume of fruits and berries produced in Armenia will increase by about 11.5 thousand tons per year.

The government passed a decision “On temporary ban on exports of a number of goods from the Republic of Armenia” in order to restrict the export of goods important for the country (raw hides) in a bid to protect local producers and build up the needed raw material base. The decision will bolster Armenia’s manufacturing industry. New tanneries will be re-commissioned in our country resulting in some 300-350 new jobs.

The Government approved a proposal to increase the number of judges at the Administrative Court of Appeal, Civil Court of Appeal and the Bankruptcy Court of the Republic of Armenia. To this end, budget reallocation and relevant amendments were made to one of the preceding government decrees. There will be 4 more judges at the Bankruptcy Court. The Administrative Court of Appeal and the Civil Court of Appeal will be staffed by 3 new judges each.