Minister of Economy Gevorg Papoyan announced during a government briefing that recent hailstorms have inflicted substantial damage on the agricultural sector, particularly in the Ararat, Armavir, Aragatsotn provinces, and other areas. He stated that he has already visited Ararat province and plans to visit other affected regions.

The minister reported that joint working groups comprising regional administrations, local authorities, and ministries are currently engaged in assessing and documenting the damages, according to 1lurer.am .

Following the completion of damage assessments, the government will decide on the forms and extent of assistance to be provided to citizens, aiming to ensure the continued sustainable development of agriculture.

“There are preliminary estimates, but in some villages, hail occurred just yesterday. In one village in a province, it happened yesterday, and even then, only in part of the village,” the minister noted, indicating that the assessment process is ongoing.

Papoyan also mentioned that anti-hail systems were operational; however, he emphasized that cannon-based systems are not 100% effective against all cloud formations. In some cases, these systems can fully prevent hail, while in others, they cannot. He highlighted that these stations have prevented potential damages on numerous occasions, as reported by 1lurer.am .

“Yes, the systems were activated, except in one settlement in Ararat province, where, according to experts and responsible parties, a very strong initial rainfall caused issues with the equipment, rendering it non-operational. We identified this during my visit to Ararat province. However, the adjacent 63 systems functioned fully,” he said.