Over 1,000 residents from several villages of Armenia’s Ararat Region staged a protest Tuesday, and if their problem is not resolved, they are threatening to protest in front of the Government building in capital city Yerevan.  

The villagers are complaining about the prices for the companies’ purchase of their apricot harvest, Aygezard village prefect Artur Manukyan told Armenian News-NEWS.am. In the case when one case of apricots used to be purchased from the villagers for 5,000 drams (approx. $12), now the purchasing companies have lowered the price to 4,000 drams (approx. $9.60) per case.

Deputy governor of Ararat and several other officials came to speak with the protesting villagers, who had even blocked the road. But the protest was suspended, and it was decided that the purchasing company will buy the apricots at 5,000 drams, per case, on Wednesday.