Farmer Garegin Muradyan has been growing strawberries for 5-6 years in the village of Tavshut, in the Shirak region of Armenia, on a field that is covered only with a net, without the possibility of heating, without additional 'excesses.' He says he's doing well.
"At first, I didn't believe in the result either, but then I fell in love, started to love this business," says Garegin, who, until 2017, had never been involved in agriculture. He says that last season he harvested about 1.6 tons of strawberries from one hectare of land, which he sold or distributed, "except for the ones we ate," he jokes.
However, in Armenia's agricultural sector, successful people like Muradyan are more often the exception than the rule. Such success seems beyond reach to many of those working in agriculture due to the need for financial investments, infrastructure, and weather conditions.
Vardan Khachatryan, who runs a greenhouse in the village of Khoronk in the Armavir region, says planting strawberries wouldn't work for them. And the problem is access to water, with no irrigation system and not enough money to install his own.
In Khachatryan's case, the greenhouse is a source of income. But Martun Vardanyan from the village of Lernakert in the Shirak region uses his land to grow crops for his family. He also adds cold weather as a problem specific to their village. Lernakert is located on the slopes of Aragats in a mountainous area.
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