Wednesday, December 13 2017 18:13

ArmInfo. For the first time organic and natural products of 12 Armenian companies were presented at the joint ORGANIC ARMENIA pavilion at the specialized exhibition Organic & Natural Expo Middle East, which is held December 11-13 in Dubai. The exhibition is the only one of its kind in the Near East and North Africa region.

Participation of Armenian companies became possible due to the program "Organic Agriculture Promotion Initiative", funded by the European Union with the co-financing of the Austrian Development Agency.  "Participation in the exhibition is a unique opportunity for Armenian organic agricultural products labeled "eco" and "bio"- honey, dried fruits, medicinal herbs and juices for presenting gifts of local nature in the Middle East market,".

On September 11 2017 in Yerevan, where the "Month of Organic Agriculture" was launched under the "Organic Agriculture Initiative" program. The head of the EU delegation in Armenia, Ambassador Piotr Switalski, stated about great prospects for Armenian organic agricultural products in the European market, as it is "quality and tasty". According to the ambassador, today in the world in the market of organic products there is a huge competition. At the end of 2015, the area of the world's organic lands reached 12.7 million hectares, of which 11.2 million hectares in the EU. The total value of the organic retail market of the EU is 24 billion EUR. Nevertheless, the EU sees huge potential for the development of organic agriculture in Armenia. According to Ambassador, organic agricultural products from Armenia can quite successfully occupy their niche in the European market, because of its competitive advantages - sun, soil and climate, "quality and delicious."

Funded by the European Union, with the co-financing of the Austrian Development Agency, the three-year program "Organic Agriculture Initiative" with a total budget of 3.3 million EUR (1.1 million in the form of assistance to farmers, the rest to develop their skills) started in September 2015 and is designed to identify Armenia's potential in sphere of organic agriculture. The program has 4 main components: the reform of the legislative field and the creation of relevant institutions, assistance to persons who want to engage in an organic agriculture in the framework of the program, 18 farms from almost all regions of Armenia have already received financial assistance, and - 28 technical assistance.