FAO BACKS ARMENIA IN EVALUATING PHYTOSANITARY CAPACITY STRATEGY
YEREVAN, February 13. /ARKA/. The Food and Agriculture Organization
of the United Nations (FAO) supports Armenia in efforts to work
out a strategy for phytosanitary capacity advance, Head of Armenian
State Service for Food Safety Abraham Bakhchagulyan told reporters
on Wednesday.
A donor conference is being held these minutes in Yerevan. The main
agenda topic is phytosanitary capacity strategy in Armenia. FAO and
Armenian State Service for Food Safety are the conference organizers.
Bakhchagulyan said State Service for Food Safety applied to FAO last
year for the strategy evaluation purposes.
"It is almost one year FAO experts have been working on this issue,
they are researching the situation, assessing the potential of food
safety sphere in Armenia in terms of phytosanitary capacity," he said.
Bakhchagulyan noted there are multiples issues in the sphere which
are to be solved.
"First of all, it refers to diagnostics of phytosanitary diseases
and their elimination. Armenia needs to train its lab specialists and
new lab equipment. It is also essential to enhance food diagnostics
quality at the borders," he explained and added the imported goods
are only tested by a microscope at the border points.
He singled out technical re-equipment, professional skills of
inspectors, trainings for specialists and farmers as some other tasks
of the utmost importance.
Bakhchagulyan didn't uncover the amount of funds spent on phytosanitary
capacity assessment in Armenia by international experts, as well as
strategy evaluation procedures. -0-
YEREVAN, February 13. /ARKA/. The Food and Agriculture Organization
of the United Nations (FAO) supports Armenia in efforts to work
out a strategy for phytosanitary capacity advance, Head of Armenian
State Service for Food Safety Abraham Bakhchagulyan told reporters
on Wednesday.
A donor conference is being held these minutes in Yerevan. The main
agenda topic is phytosanitary capacity strategy in Armenia. FAO and
Armenian State Service for Food Safety are the conference organizers.
Bakhchagulyan said State Service for Food Safety applied to FAO last
year for the strategy evaluation purposes.
"It is almost one year FAO experts have been working on this issue,
they are researching the situation, assessing the potential of food
safety sphere in Armenia in terms of phytosanitary capacity," he said.
Bakhchagulyan noted there are multiples issues in the sphere which
are to be solved.
"First of all, it refers to diagnostics of phytosanitary diseases
and their elimination. Armenia needs to train its lab specialists and
new lab equipment. It is also essential to enhance food diagnostics
quality at the borders," he explained and added the imported goods
are only tested by a microscope at the border points.
He singled out technical re-equipment, professional skills of
inspectors, trainings for specialists and farmers as some other tasks
of the utmost importance.
Bakhchagulyan didn't uncover the amount of funds spent on phytosanitary
capacity assessment in Armenia by international experts, as well as
strategy evaluation procedures. -0-