YEREVAN. - Six Armenian plants owe farmers for grape since 2015.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Robert Makaryan, told the aforementioned to reporters Wednesday.

Five plants promised to settle accounts by the end of the year. Another plant, Vinar, unfortunately manifested irresponsible conduct, Makaryan added.

According to the company, it owes 47 million AMD to the farmers but the Agriculture Ministry revealed that the debt reached 100 million AMD (approx. $286,000), especially in the villages of Artashat region.

The Ministry proposed to find a buyer of brandy spirit kept at the company’s storage, whose sale might enable to settle accounts. But it turned out that the company didn’t have the needed supplies of spirit.

The Ministry thus seized 16 million AMD spirit form the company, which was bought by Proshyan Brandy Factory. In fact, it was decided to provide the money not to the company (whose accounts were arrested) but immediately to farmers. “We aligned their lists with the administration of Ararat province,” Makaryan stated.

In 2016, 7 billion AMD fruit and vegetables were procured in Armenia, of which  the plants paid 3 billion. Out of 14.1 billion AMD, 11.8 billion AMD (approx. $24 million) was paid for grape.