Armenian Minister of Agriculture Gerasim Alaverdyan said that 250 hail suppression stations will be set throughout Armenia by 2012.

The program on setting hail suppression stations was approved in Armenia in 2008 and it is being implemented gradually, Alaverdyan told a press conference on December 24.

28 stations have been set and put into operation in Armavir and Ararat through funds of a Japanese grant, while another 48 stations have been constructed in the same regions through provided subsidies.

“If earlier the share of damage caused by hail could amount to AMD 6mln in the total damage caused to agriculture at the amount of AMD 12-13bln, the program implementation will allow us to considerably reduce the damage,” Alaverdyan said.