Thursday, 22 August 2013
Another State Backing Due For Armenian Farmers
The Cabinet held a regular meeting, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Armen Gevorgyan.
The government approved the list of farms eligible for distribution of first-reproduction winter wheat seeds in 2013 under the government’s 2010-2014 wheat seed-breeding and development program. Some 147 applications had been received from 7 provinces by this July 12 in 2013. 3,400 tons of first-reproduction winter wheat seeds will be distributed this year.
The meeting next approved a State support program for the provision of cost-effective nitrogenous fertilizers to domestic land users for implementing farming activities in the fall of 2013. To this end, the Ministry of Agriculture was allocated over 380 million drams to have 8,310 thousand tons of ammonia saltpeter imported into the country to be distributed at the cost of 6 thousand drams per 50kg pack.
Deputy Prime Minister Armen Gevorgyan advised that the government will also implement a diesel fuel procurement program. To this end, a draft government decree will be out after the quantities to be purchased have been discussed with the relevant Marz governors.
The Executive decided to set up a competition and certification committee for tax and customs-related services within the State Revenue Committee by establishing a membership and staffing quota, by-laws and rules of procedure. The decision is supposed to help the SRC fill vacancies by means of duly organized tenders and attestations based on unified and improved criteria.
The government next approved the strategy and action plan of Sustainable School Catering program. The main objective of the strategy is to shape a sustainable catering system that will provide elementary grade students with healthy food in public schools nationwide with a view to overcoming poverty, promoting school attendance and achieving universal primary education.
The government adopted two decisions to the following effect: first, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs was allocated around AMD16 million to settle the overdue State duties to the Treasury for 246 passports provided to Syrian Armenians in the second quarter of 2013. Second, the State budget will get AMD251mn and AMD 232mn respectively available from non-resident legal or natural persons in support of Armenia’s foreign diplomatic services and expenditures.
The next decision provides that the State budget should reflect the proceeds of grants provided under the World Bank-supported “Disease prevention and control” program’s performance-based preparatory financing plan.
The meeting decided to offer a compulsory military service deferment to London University College graduate student Arman Abgaryan until the fall call-up campaign of 2014.
In conclusion, the Minister of Education and Science advised that the Knowledge Day of September 1 will be marked by a number of events for which invitations have been sent to the members of government.
