Armenian Ministry of Agriculture urges Armenian producers to focus on development of long-term action plans amid anti-Turkish sanctions

ArmInfo.The Armenian Ministry of Agriculture urges the Armenian producers to focus on development of long-term action plans with due regard for the opportunities provided by regional and international integration systems, Armen Harutyunyan, Armenian Deputy Minister of Agriculture, has told ArmInfo when commenting on the prospects of the Armenian agrarian sector in the light of the anti-Turkish sanctions of Russia.    

The deputy minister notes that at the moment nobody is able to say how long the ban will last.  Consequently, it is inexpedient to make additional investments. At the same time, Harutyunyan says that the real sector should realize the possible negative consequences of the Russian ban on the import of Turkish agricultural products. He stresses the need to elaborate long-term development programs for the sector with due regard for the Eurasian Economy Union (EEU) and GSP+ capacities, as well as to exert efforts towards regional and global integration. "One can invest in the open ground, for instance, but the private sector representatives should take into account all the possible risks - whether the short-term investments can be profitable and whether the investments can pay off amid the long-term risks," says Harutyunyan.

Though Armenia's export capacities for substitution of several goods on the Russian market are still being estimated, Harutyunyan says that the range of agricultural products includes fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as processed products. Anyway, the Ministry of Agriculture recommends introducing advanced technologies and creating cooperatives in order to ensure the competitiveness of Armenian agricultural products.      

To recall, on November 28 Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an executive order "On measures to ensure Russia's national security and protection of Russian citizens against criminal and other illegal acts and on the application of special economic measures against Turkey". According to the order, the import to the territory of the Russian Federation of certain goods originating from the Turkish Republic will be banned. Particularly, all types of meat and sub products, fish and marine products, lactose free and diary products, nuts, berries, greenery, fruits and vegetables are on the list of the products, the import of which is banned.