YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 16, NOYAN TAPAN. U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Ms. Marie Yovanovitch, RA Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Territorial Administration Armen Gevorgian, Minister of Agriculture Gerasim Alaverdian accompanied by Governor of Aragatsotn marz (province) Sargis Sahakian and Governor of Kotayk marz Kovalenko Shahgeldian visited on September 16 Arzni-Shamiram main canal being reconstructed under the Millennium Challenge Account-Armenia (MCA-Armenia) Program. Arzni-Shamiram canal is one of the six main canals in Armenia to be reconstructed under "Irrigated Agriculture" component of the program. Then they went to Karb community in Aragatsotn marz where new agricultural technologies were introduced recently. The MCA-Armenia Program finances the use of a gravity-fed irrigation system which allows farmers to improve efficiency. The given community is one of many others where equipment purchased under the program has been installed. In addition, farmers have taken training courses on how to use their new knowledge in practice. According to a press release submitted to NT, until now more than 30 thousand farmers from 300 communities in Armenia have been introduced to water management technologies under "Irrigated Agriculture" component of MCA-Armenia program. About 5,000 farmers from 60 communities in Kotayk and Aragatsotn marzes have undergone training.

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