There are about 40-50 hectares of olive groves in Bagratashen village of Armenia’s Tavush Province. Bagrat Vardanyan, who founded the village in 1949, had brought olives from Greece to Armenia in 1955. He had planted 50 hectares and was getting a bountiful harvest. Later, the farmers who privatized the land continued to cultivate olive trees. One of the oldest residents of Bagratashen, Armen Sargsyan, is one of those who continue the work of growing olive trees.
At that time, about 10-15 families lived in the area of present-day Bagratashen, including Armen’s ancestors who emigrated from Erzurum in 1915. Due to work, he lived in Russia for 3-4 years, but after his father’s death, realizing that his mother would not move from the village, he returned and resettled in his father’s village. He left his job as a merchant and decided to engage in agriculture.
One day, when Armen was speaking with Bagratashen resident grandpa Andranik about his desire to turn his uncultivated land into a garden, grandpa Andranik had said that it is not possible because this area is above the water source.
There is an irrigation water problem in Bagratashen. It reaches Bagratashen from the Debed river through the villages of Ptghavan and Lchkadzor. Water is supplied to these villages one by one. And due to uneven distribution, less water reaches Bagratashen, and it does not reach the upland land of Armen at all.
Realizing that his garden can only be irrigated by drip, Armen became interested in various organizations that assist in such cases and learned about the EU4IMPACT program. By applying to them and passing the course organized by their partner Iris Business Incubator, he was able to achieve his goal by getting a drip irrigation system that cost more than 4 million drams.
Olive production is surprising to many in Armenia. When Armen told that he grows olive trees, they said that it is impossible for olive trees to grow in Bagratashen.
It is the second year that Armen cultivates his land, which is 3.5 hectares and has been uncultivated in recent years. In addition to olives, he grows figs, peaches, nectarines, and cherries. He says that in Armenia, the first cherry of the year grows in Bagratashen, in the middle of May. He mostly takes care of the garden alone, but he hires a helper when mowing the grass. The garden is new, and the first harvest is expected next year. Initially, he did not plan to sell the crop in Armenia’s market. But in the conditions of Armenian dram appreciation, he is thinking of selling half of the crop in Armenia and half abroad.
The EU-supported Iris Business Incubator is a partner of the EU4IMPACT project and provides local entrepreneurs with a full range of business development services, including training and other programs. EU4IMPACT supports the development of businesses already founded, start-ups or future ones by immigrants, including working, returning immigrants, and their family members. The project is implemented with funding from the European Union and by the International Centre for Migration Policy Development.
Source : News.am