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ARMENIA SEEKS 3.89 MILLION EUROS FROM EU TO UPGRADE ITS FOOD SAFETY LABS
YEREVAN, March 25. / ARKA /. Armenia has applied to the European Union
to seek 3.8 million euros in assistance which it wants to spend on
upgrading its food safety laboratories, Abram Bakhchagulyan, chief
of the State Food Safety Service, an affiliation of the Ministry of
Agriculture, told ARKA. He said a positive response is expected to
arrive by the end of this year. According to him, the upgrading will
encompass three main areas: food safety, sanitary and phytosanitary
capabilities.
Bakhchagulyan said modern lab equipment used together with a new
e-program designed to analyze and assess risks will enable Armenia
to certify food exports to Europe. Without such certificates Armenia
can not export food products to the European market, he said.
Arthur Nikoyan, head of phyto-sanitary inspection of the State Food
Safety Service, stressed the need to harmonize related Armenian laws
with European legislation. He said Armenia is adopting a number
of European directives in order to be guided with when issuing
certificates.
"The EU will recognize our products safe only if the monitoring for
detection of harmful organisms is carried out according to European
standards," Nikoyan said.
EU provides assistance to Armenia as part of Food Safety Capacity
Building program, conducted with the support of the USAID-funded
Enterprise Development and Market Competitiveness Program (EDMC).
As part of the program five-day training was held with the
participation of international experts and also a seminar on impact
of international agreements on sanitary and phyto-sanitary activities
in Armenia. . -0-
YEREVAN, March 25. / ARKA /. Armenia has applied to the European Union
to seek 3.8 million euros in assistance which it wants to spend on
upgrading its food safety laboratories, Abram Bakhchagulyan, chief
of the State Food Safety Service, an affiliation of the Ministry of
Agriculture, told ARKA. He said a positive response is expected to
arrive by the end of this year. According to him, the upgrading will
encompass three main areas: food safety, sanitary and phytosanitary
capabilities.
Bakhchagulyan said modern lab equipment used together with a new
e-program designed to analyze and assess risks will enable Armenia
to certify food exports to Europe. Without such certificates Armenia
can not export food products to the European market, he said.
Arthur Nikoyan, head of phyto-sanitary inspection of the State Food
Safety Service, stressed the need to harmonize related Armenian laws
with European legislation. He said Armenia is adopting a number
of European directives in order to be guided with when issuing
certificates.
"The EU will recognize our products safe only if the monitoring for
detection of harmful organisms is carried out according to European
standards," Nikoyan said.
EU provides assistance to Armenia as part of Food Safety Capacity
Building program, conducted with the support of the USAID-funded
Enterprise Development and Market Competitiveness Program (EDMC).
As part of the program five-day training was held with the
participation of international experts and also a seminar on impact
of international agreements on sanitary and phyto-sanitary activities
in Armenia. . -0-