YEREVAN. – One of the main tasks for increasing income of farmers is to use irrigation water more economically, head of USAID program on effective use of water resources Armen Varosyan told Armenian News-NEWS.am.

The goal of the program is to increase the role of farmers in unions of water users that distribute irrigation water.

More than 10 years ago, irrigation systems were transferred to self-management of farmers at the suggestion of the World Bank. However, in Armenia the unions have turned into formality are headed by local “power brokers” and their approximates.

Therefore, said Varosyan, first we need to investigate how much the legislative field is in the interests of farmers and the needs of water supply. Then you need to check how much farmers’ opinion is taken into account when making decisions.

The State Committee for Water Resources and the Ministry of Agriculture have repeatedly emphasized  that many farmers do not pay for water for months. On the other hand, irrigation companies also have their obligations. For example, according to current regulations, farmers have the right to get irrigation water within three days after he applied.