Armenia’s farmers have been alarming about damage of about 90 percent of early potatoes in Ararat valley while the Ministry of Agriculture continues ignoring the calls, farmer Varuzhan Khodedanyan told at a news conference on Thursday.

He said the problem is not with the potatoes only but tomatoes as well.

The farmer said they have not gathered the harvest not being able to sell it, while remaining in the soil the vegetables were spoiled by pests. “It will have grave consequences not only for us, but the whole agriculture as well,” the farmer said, adding that it will cause seed issue and in the coming year the price for potato will go up.

Khodedanyan said they contacted the Ministry of Agriculture immediately after noticing the focus of pests but the specialists did not come forth with any practical proposal. “We have told them about the issue but they did not pay attention to it. Now the pests have spread on potatoes and tomatoes as well,” the farmer said.

He noted that they have even applied to the US Department of Agricultural.

Another farmer Armen Sinomyan said they have tried to solve the issue on their own but failed. The farmer criticized the ministry saying they can only speak on TV about growth of harvests as if it was the result of their work and not farmers’.