YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 23, ARMENPRESS. Caretaker minister of agriculture Gegham Gevorgyan held a meeting today with Naoufel Telahigue, Armenia Country Programme Manager at the  International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) North Africa and Europe division.

During the meeting Gevorgyan emphasized the significance of joint programs with IFAD and expressed hope that the bilateral cooperation will further develop and expand, the ministry said.

The caretaker minister briefed the IFAD delegation on the government’s agricultural policy and the planned reforms, as well as ongoing projects carried out jointly with other international organizations.

The sides discussed the current projects and the possible steps from increasing their productivity, and also outlined the main directions for new programs.

The meeting also specially addressed the Global Environment Fund (GEF) Sustainable Land Management for Increased Productivity in Armenia program, which is being carried out by a governmental agency on rural area development. The general goal of the program is to increase the revenue and assets of farmers having small businesses through investments in sustainable land management systems and technologies.

Naoufel Telahigue expressed readiness to continue cooperation with the Armenian ministry of agriculture for developing and implementing new programs.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan