AYGEZARD, MAY 10, NOYAN TAPAN. On May 7 the U.S. Ambassador Marie L. Yovanovitch and the Deputy Prime Minister Armen Gevorgyan opened 2.5 kilometers of the 8.5 kilometers that constitutes the Aygezard gravity irrigation canal scheme (Ararat marz) rehabilitated under the Millennium Challenge Account-Armenia (MCA-Armenia) Program. Ambassador Yovanovitch and the Deputy Prime Minister emphasized the impact of infrastructure rehabilitation on improving farming practices and attitudes of farmers, including more effective irrigation practices, transition to higher value agriculture, and ultimately- increased profitability of Armenian farmers. In the farm of a farmer Mr. Ashot Abrahamyan was held the opening ceremony. Mr. Ashot Abrahamyan through hard work and ingenuity, has struggled to maintain his two hectares of apricot orchards for 20 years, despite extreme scarcity of water. Over 11, 000 rural residents from Aygezard, Gintver and Nor Ughi communities will benefit from the rehabilitation of this Aygezard gravity system. According to the report given to Noyan Tapan, this investment in Aygezard, is an important part of the 180 million USD worth of agricultural assistance provided by the US Government to Armenia through the Compact signed with the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) in 2006. When completed in September 2011, the MCA-Armenia Program expects to have refurbished major sections of Armenia's main canal systems, modernized some of the most urgently needed pumping stations, introduced new gravity irrigation schemes, re-built tertiary canals in communities across Armenia and restored sections of the Ararat Valley Drainage system. The MCA-Armenia Program is also training nearly 45,000 farmers in improved agriculture practices, delivering technical assistance to water supply institutions and providing 8,5 million USD in credit to farmers and small agribusinesses in support of the program objectives. Information: Millennium Challenge Account-Armenia (MCA-Armenia), a State Non-Commercial Organization established by the Government of Armenia, is responsible for overseeing the transparent implementation of the Compact signed between the Millennium Challenge Corporation and the Government of Armenia.

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