Cattle-breeders are much worried in Armavir marz. Forage is being consumed and the price offered for grass is double increased. Today the market price of grass has reached 100-120 drams per kilo. Especially in the spring months farmers hardly solve the problem of their daily bread. Consequently, buying forage in this price is of no importance for them. Therefore, the villagers have only one way out; to get rid of cattle that are considered to be the only means for their families to survive.
Many people connect the shortage of forage with the arid weather in 2012, but in accordance with the statistical data, the volume of downfall over the past year was near the annual average indicator. Accordingly, it may not be the reason for the shortage of forage.
One of the main reasons of scarce forage is that a large quantity of forage, particularly alfalfa, was exported to the neighboring country, Iran, in 2012, and the process is being continued until now. The other reason is related to wheat seeds of poor quality distributed to farmers by the Government in 2011. The point is that farmers complete the reserve of forage with wheat stalk as well, but in 2012, due to seeds of low quality farmers got neither wheat, nor forage. Consequently, these two factors created sufficient conditions for the double rise in forage prices, hence, putting the farmers in hopeless situation.
Farmers are being apprehensive of the announcement by the Ministry of Agriculture that the cattle have been increasing in Armenia because in this situation cattle-raising is not a profitable business any more. Pastures are being reduced and forage is getting expensive resulting in cattle daily decrease and rise in meat prices.