ArmInfo. The organic agriculture sector of Armenia, in view of the limited production volumes, can not compete in the European market with mass producers, which are represented in large network supermarkets. This was stated by the head of the project "Organic Agriculture Support Initiative" (OASI) of the Austrian Development Agency, David Mukenguber, in an interview with ArmInfo.
According to him, Armenian agricultural products are sold, as a rule, in small grocery stores and stalls of European capitals. At the same time, the Diaspora is also interested in the product. Mukenguber noted that the advantage of Armenian organics in the ease of finding niche markets "In large network supermarkets it is somewhat difficult to ensure the presence of Armenian organics. But here the key role is played not by quality, as organic production of Armenia is an exquisite, tasty and specific product. The point is limited production, whose volumes do not yet allow entering the markets of a different level> he explained.
The expert informed that today within the framework of the OASI program the Austrian Development Agency cooperates with 45 Armenian companies. "Starting from farmers and ending with representatives of medium-sized businesses that engage in organic farming, we provide a certificate, which the entrepreneur can freely sell his products in Europe," he said.
At the same time, he noted that Armenia had achieved certain successes in the previous exhibition of organic products BIOFACH in Germany.
In conclusion, the expert stressed that the European market offers great opportunities for marketing organic products of Armenia, but in the future it is necessary to work on increasing production volumes.
To note, OASI program in Armenia, implemented by the Austrian Development Agency with EU financing, is aimed at developing organic agriculture and selling Armenian organic products both on domestic and foreign markets. The total budget of the program is 3.3 million euros.