An action "Mine or life" is going on in Armenia

A citizens' group "Protection of Teghut" started an action "Mine or life" during which the first online market of honey from peasants of the settlements of Tegut and Shnokh, Lori district, was organized. According to the organizers, the action is aimed at promotion of the idea of an alternative way of development of the settlements of Lori district.

Earlier, the "Caucasian Knot" reported that the Government of Armenia issued a license to ACP company which is part of Vallex Group on operating Teghut cooper- molybdenum mine in 2007. The deposit is expected to be set in operation in 2014. About 130 million dollars have already been invested into the project.

"Instead of selling their lands dirt-cheap the residents of Lori, in particular the settlements of Teghut and Shnokh, can farm and successfully sell their goods", the environment activists declared.

According to activist Mariam Sukhudyan, during online market on September, 2, about 100 kg honey were realized. She pointed out that 3 peasants from the settlements of Teghut and Shnokh took part in the market with their production. The activists are currently working to involve the rest residents from different villages.

"People do not yet quite understand how an online market of agricultural production should be organized. Many of them wait until the first volunteers try their first sale, make sure of efficiency of this action and only them join it themselves", Sukhudyan states.

She said that this time an advertisement of sales of Tegut honey was placed on different groups and forums and a social network. However, a special online market web-site market.teghut.am is already being prepared.

"At the moment in is under design and will start functioning within two weeks", Sukhudyan assured.

Activist of the project Lena Nazaryan remarked that "a myth of exploiting the cooper-molybdenum mine as the only way for development of the settlements of Lori district was created round Teghut".

"This myth should be overturned, Lena Nazaryan says.

According to her, the peasants do not know what to do with their production for they cannot realize it at a big market. "The owners of the mine convinced them that work on the deposit for which they will be paid 80 thousand drams was the only way out of their disastrous situation", the activist said.

Lilit Gevorgyan thinks that the action will give the peasants a chance to come out to a big market. As of today, the peasants encounter problems with both transporting their production to Yerevan and the dealers who settled down in the markets of Yerevan long ago, the activist explained.

"But the online market will let them leave the dealers out and establish their own sales, Gevorgyan added.

The organizers of the action also assured that their prices would be lower than usual because, in particular, "nobody will pay taxes on rent of production facilities".