ArmInfo.The structure of Armenian food exports needs to be diversified. The concentration of exports in several major markets generates certain risks for Armenian exporters, Emil Stepanyan, Co-Founder and Administrator of the Export Armenia Association, told the ArmInfo correspondent.
The expert noted that three quarters of Armenian meat products are exported to Georgia, 80% of honey - to the United States, more than 90% of cheese and dried fruits - to Russia, 99% of "canned food" - lamb - to Iran, and this list can be continued. "It's time to seriously think about what will happen if, for some objective reasons, problems arise in these markets," Stepanyan stressed. Of course, he believes, exporters themselves must manage their risks, and government agencies must ensure the safety of industries and the economy as a whole.
Nevertheless, according to the expert, the state should not rely on the strategic business thinking of local entrepreneurs. Programs should be created to guide exporters to new markets. The head of the Export Armenia Association believes that his organization is well aware of the problems of Armenian export and has a deep professional vision of how to solve these problems.
'' Small pilot projects can be the start. As one of the simple but effective solutions, we offer to choose specific products (for example dried fruits) and financially motivate their access to new markets. It is better to export dried fruits packaged in order to add value, contributing to the development of a culture of premium ''trade dress'' of goods. After all, Armenian exports should be premium, and this is an axiom. To diversify Armenian exports, the development of transport and logistics infrastructure is also important. The development of air travel should also be addressed. New directions will also contribute to the diversification of markets, tariffs for air cargo will become cheaper. Inexpensive airfare rates are especially important for the success of start-up exporters who ship their first test batches by air>, Stepanyan shared his opinion.
In this context, Emil Stepanyan cited air delivery to foreign agricultural markets from Uzbekistan as an example. < Compared to ours, the tariffs there are just miserable. In Uzbekistan, the government actively subsidizes air cargo. I do not urge our government to do the same and to the same extent. The ongoing subsidy is wrong. But support for cargo transportation, whether land or air, would be appropriate for novice exporters>, he said.