Due to the heavy recent rains, rural agriculture in the Ararat valley has been severely damaged. The Ministry of Agriculture has not yet started to assess the monetary damage. Hetq’s roving photographic eye has visited the region and has noted that the young fruit plum and apricot trees is turning yellow and falling to the muddy earth below. We reported our finding to the Agriculture Ministry. Mr. Gagik Manucharyan, who heads the Department of Forest Economy and Plant Protection, replied that he wasn’t aware of the problem, adding that the yellowing fruit could be the result of over dampness. He didn’t rule of the possibility that the cause was the spring frost. "This year has so far been bad for agriculture. First, there was the frost and now we have these heavy rains. They have caused particular damage to the apple crop that has recently blossomed. In the spring, the villagers were supposed to adequately fertilize the soil so that the crop would harden and take hold," Mr. Manucharyan said. He added that excessive moisture could also lead to various crop diseases and rotting.