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.