Up to Nature: Farmers watch skies for signs of healthy crops
Winter seems to have finally made it to Yerevan.
Armenian farmers worry that heavy snowfalls or severe frosts might be in store at the end of this so-far mild winter, bringing damaging effects to fruits and vegetables.
Hrachya Berberyan, president of the Agrarian-Peasant Union of Armenia told ArmeniaNow that the current unusual warm winter resulted in early vegetation and budding of all fruits (mainly cherry, peach, apricot, and some sorts of apple) in Ararat Plain. If the warm weather does not change till the end of winter, and if it does not snow at all, then, according to Berberyan, there will be a rich harvest of apricot in May, and there will be no problem.
But if there is snowfall in the nearest future, and then the weather – as predicted -- becomes colder registering double-digit negative temperatures, there will be serious damage.
Similar warm winters, with no snowfalls, were registered in Armenia in 1963, 1966, and 1987. During those years (as it is now) in January the temperature in the daytime reached up to 5-7C (41-44F), and it was about 00C at night, and it rained from time to time.
Though snow has been reported in other areas of Armenia, none has fallen in the Ararat valley, the country’s agriculture cradle. Late today (January 25) the unusual winter brought a thunder storm accompanied with rain mixed with snow to the capital.
The Armenian State Hydro-meteorological and Monitoring Service says it will snow in Yerevan on January 26, 28, and 29, followed by temperatures as low as -11C (12F) at night. Later the temperature will scale up, and till February 3, the temperature will be up to 10C (50F).
Hrachya Berberyan, president of the Agrarian-Peasant Union of Armenia told ArmeniaNow that the current unusual warm winter resulted in early vegetation and budding of all fruits (mainly cherry, peach, apricot, and some sorts of apple) in Ararat Plain. If the warm weather does not change till the end of winter, and if it does not snow at all, then, according to Berberyan, there will be a rich harvest of apricot in May, and there will be no problem.
But if there is snowfall in the nearest future, and then the weather – as predicted -- becomes colder registering double-digit negative temperatures, there will be serious damage.
Similar warm winters, with no snowfalls, were registered in Armenia in 1963, 1966, and 1987. During those years (as it is now) in January the temperature in the daytime reached up to 5-7C (41-44F), and it was about 00C at night, and it rained from time to time.
Though snow has been reported in other areas of Armenia, none has fallen in the Ararat valley, the country’s agriculture cradle. Late today (January 25) the unusual winter brought a thunder storm accompanied with rain mixed with snow to the capital.
The Armenian State Hydro-meteorological and Monitoring Service says it will snow in Yerevan on January 26, 28, and 29, followed by temperatures as low as -11C (12F) at night. Later the temperature will scale up, and till February 3, the temperature will be up to 10C (50F).