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Traffic jams have formed on Yerevan-Stepanakert interstate motorway: residents of villages in Armenia’s Ararat province blocked the motorway, demanding that officials responsible for the organization of grape procurement process assist them with selling their harvest.

Farmers told the correspondent of Panorama.am that this year’s grape harvest was rich, but procurement organizations are buying limited amounts of grapes. As a result the harvest remains in vineyards and already began to rot away.

Villagers of Armavir province are said to be in a similar situation.

Armenian Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan said during a government consultation in August that according to Ministry of Agriculture, grape harvest is expected to total 280 thousand tons this year, 196 thousand tons of which will be purchased, but the demand amounted to 160 thousand tons. The prime minister said the government attaches importance to smooth and rapid organization of procurements and is prepared to assist processing companies with procurement of additional amounts of grapes.