YEREVAN. - It is necessary to open more nurseries with grape seedlings for struggling against phylloxera.

Foreign Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Garnik Petrosyan told the aforementioned to Armenian News – NEWS.am.

He recalled that the Armenian legislation, particularly the Law ''On grape-made alcoholic beverages'' bans planting phylloxera-resistant seedlings in Ararat plain. But the disease has spread here as well, although traditionally it wasn't there. ''Thus, it is necessary sprigs instead of seedlings. Since they were not in contact with the ground, the contamination is minimal during disinfection,'' Petrosyan said. 

Pursuant to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) program, about 12,000 sprigs of different sorts will be imported to the republic. They will later be tested in isolated conditions to rule out contamination and adapt them to local conditions. ''The work is very important, but this is not enough. In due time our colleagues and we prepared a development project in the conditions of phylloxera. But that project was not accepted. The basis is being laid now but the scale should be expanded. The state should think about this,'' the expert added.