Farming Mines in Armenia

In times of war, mines are placed to trap the enemy. But what happens in times of peace, when those mines remain?

"I have a pear orchard of seven thousand square metres on the border," said local farmer Vachagan Simonian. "Every year this orchard could bring in a crop of around seven thousand tonnes and I could sell it for around two thousand dollars - but I can’t."

"People cannot till their land, they have no income, which is why they have to leave to work in Russia," said Aharon Asilbekian, deputy head of the village administration.

An estimated 69,000 residents in 60 villages in Armenia are afflicted by the problem.

Pretty tragic. If you remember, the issue was previously covered on Armenia Blog.

Source: IWPR