Armenia does not need poultry products, it needs investments

ArmInfo. Armenia does not need  poultry products, it needs serious investments in new technologies  and expanding feeding base, Sergey Stepanyan, Armenian Poultry  Breeders Chairman stated during International Poultry Forum opened on  Tuesday in respond to Russian partners offer on poultry meat and eggs   delivery to Armenia. 

"At this moment Armenia is able to provide the population of the  country with poultry meat and eggs, however, currently there is a  tough stand issue on feeding base creation, as the food is being  imported to Armenia mainly from abroad", he stressed. According to  Stepanyan, 365 thousand hectares are being used for sowing crops, 200  thousand from which crops of cereal and legume crops. 

Armenian Poultry Farmers Union stressed, resulted by general  stocktaking of poultry meat and eggs; producing power, became clear  that after the Soviet Union collapse mostly they were maintained and  are pretty usable to organize the production. That is why in 2010 the  country registered the highest indexes on chicken eggs' producing:218  per head of population, in other words, 103.5% self providing. 

Stepanyan stressed that in implementation of main issues, such as VAT  crediting and prolongation, the sphere needs state support. According  to him, the development of local processing is more beneficial for  economy of the country, and that is why the Union applied to Armenian  Government with a development program of the sphere. According to  Stepanyan, currently the program is at the stage of discussion and if  it would be adopted, by 2025 poultry meat and eggs producing in the  country will increase twice. "There is a real chance to provide  average world index in this sphere by 2025", Stepanyan added.

Sergey Shabaev, Eurasian Poultry Farmers Assosiation Chairman, who  participated the Forum, in his turn, stressed that Russian companies  in poultry field are pretty interested in more intense cooperation  with Armenia in the sphere of experience, technologies exchange and  bringing veterinarian and allied services.  18 big companies  participated the Forum from CIS countries.