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"WE ARE STRUGGLING AGAINST THE PRODUCTION OF SUBSTANDARD GOODS"
http://artsakhtert.com/eng/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1412: qwe-are-struggling-against-the-production-of-substandard-goodsq&catid=6:economy&Itemid=18
Friday, 28 March 2014 09:48
Interview with Director of the NKR "Center of Standardization,
Metrology, and Certification" Sergey Harutyunyan
- Mr. Harutyunyan, what are the functions of the structure led by
you? As we know, the Center has a products examination laboratory. How
does the Service promote the production of qualitative products in
Artsakh? Can you please give some details of this?
The Center provides the business entities of the Republic and food
producers with certificates of conformity. Or, a food producing subject
must receive a certificate approved by the regulations in order
to start the production process. The very name of the organization
points to the departments operating there. Each department, as you
can guess by the name, has its specific functions and tasks. In the
sphere of certification, before giving a certificate to an entity,
a preparatory work is conducted: we conclude a treaty with it, inspect
the manufacturing facility, and conduct the examination of the sample
product. In other words, mandatory certification of the products and
services conformity, according to the list of products subject to
compulsory certification in the NKR and the technical regulations. Our
service does have a laboratory for products examination: any product
produced in Artsakh undergoes relevant expertise - depending on its
type, bacteriological, physical- chemical, and toxicological. The
latter is implemented to discover nikotoksins, heavy metals, and
toxic elements. After all this, a conclusion is given, which specifies
the physical and chemical characteristics of the type of product. If
everything is correct, then the business entity is given a certificate,
and it can present its products at the market. The standardization
department establishes and maintains a state fund of standardization
regulations, provides the expertise and registration of the technical
conditions and their changes, and helps the business entities in the
preparation of documents required for the accreditation of expert
laboratories. In addition, the department provides the expertise
of state works of state bodies, names, technical specifications,
the correctness of filling in the codes and units.
- I should note that we cannot have national standards, so we
apply the standards of the RA. The metrology department inspects
measuring tools, metrology certification, takes measurements,
is involved in arbitrations and site inspections. Simply speaking,
an entity that uses or sells measuring means, in accordance with the
periodicity fixed by the Government, must submit the measuring means
for certification. The list of measuring means is very large, but we
try to cover more areas within our technical equipment. Unfortunately,
not all the entities display conscientiousness here. Some of them,
unaware of the law, refuse to do it, and we have often to send them
subpoenas. In addition, we conduct an explanatory work and cooperate
with the appropriate agency in order to bring these entities into the
legal field. In this sense, each department carries out its activities
in accordance with the acting law.
- What is the material-technical basis of the Center? Are there
any works on its renewal and equipment or are you satisfied with what
you have?
- The work on the laboratories' re-equipment and acquisition of new
equipment is underway. To be frank, if we have corresponding funds,
we could enrich the material and technical basis, purchase expensive
up-to-date equipment allowing to determine the necessary parameters
much faster, in a few minutes. But, what we have is also enough for
the necessary examinations, diagnosis and testing. We have both new
equipment and that of the Soviet era.
- Currently, the outlets mainly use electronic scales. Are in this
case any violations and underweight excluded, given the fact that
the Centre checks also these measurement tools?
- Scales are tested, using weights. Within our mandate, we fulfill
our duties, checking them twice a year. The measuring means used in
Armenia are the standard for us, or our measurement tools are tested
and certified in Armenia. As for the violations, so the consumer
himself should act as a controller.- Mr. Harutyunyan, in fact,
only the quality of local products is checked in your lab. It turns
out that the imported products are delivered to the market and sold
without checking. And the people are not actually insured against
the use of substandard products...
- We have no authority and right to enter any outlet and take any
product for review. For this, an authorized service is needed. I
think the State Food Security Service, which has been recently
established within the NKR Ministry of Agriculture, could act as
such.We welcome its creation. By the way, we have already met with
its senior officials and discussed numerous issues. A cooperation
agreement has been achieved, which is natural: we should jointly
ensure the safety of products from harmful additives and chemicals.
The laboratory of the newly established structure is not equipped yet,
as it requires great funding. It also lacks corresponding specialists.
We have proposed the service leadership to use temporarily our
laboratory. In developed countries, Japanese laboratory equipment
production is used - it is more reliable in terms of accuracy and time
(short time of diagnosis), but it is very expensive. Life is going on,
times are changing, new requirements and approaches are appearing.
While a few years ago our center functioned incompletely, it faces
currently serious problems. Every year, our experts are retrained at
the RA National Institute of Standardization and receive corresponding
certificates.
- By the way, how is the cooperation with similar structures
in Armenia?
It is quite good and we have fine relations. In any issue, whether
it's a technical or professional, the structures of Armenia are always
ready to help us. All the regulations, which we are guided with, are
presented to us by the RA National Institute of Standardization. In
turn, the National Institute of Metrology verifies our measurement
tools and gives the corresponding brand ... Our cooperation is
expanding, and the mutual visits have become frequent. Taking the
chance,- I urge everybody to use the local products - whether
it's dairy or meat products, poultry.... I can assure everyone that
the certified products have no additives and they meet the required
standards. It is known that currently some diseases are caused by
substandard products containing various additives. People get fat
from them, and many countries are concerned about this problem. So,
one of the most important tasks today is to provide the population
with qualitative products. According to its abilities, our structure
is struggling against substandard products. Many programs are planned,
but we'd not like to speak about them yet. We'll talk about them when
their implementation starts.
Laura GRIGORIAN
http://artsakhtert.com/eng/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1412: qwe-are-struggling-against-the-production-of-substandard-goodsq&catid=6:economy&Itemid=18
Friday, 28 March 2014 09:48
Interview with Director of the NKR "Center of Standardization,
Metrology, and Certification" Sergey Harutyunyan
- Mr. Harutyunyan, what are the functions of the structure led by
you? As we know, the Center has a products examination laboratory. How
does the Service promote the production of qualitative products in
Artsakh? Can you please give some details of this?
The Center provides the business entities of the Republic and food
producers with certificates of conformity. Or, a food producing subject
must receive a certificate approved by the regulations in order
to start the production process. The very name of the organization
points to the departments operating there. Each department, as you
can guess by the name, has its specific functions and tasks. In the
sphere of certification, before giving a certificate to an entity,
a preparatory work is conducted: we conclude a treaty with it, inspect
the manufacturing facility, and conduct the examination of the sample
product. In other words, mandatory certification of the products and
services conformity, according to the list of products subject to
compulsory certification in the NKR and the technical regulations. Our
service does have a laboratory for products examination: any product
produced in Artsakh undergoes relevant expertise - depending on its
type, bacteriological, physical- chemical, and toxicological. The
latter is implemented to discover nikotoksins, heavy metals, and
toxic elements. After all this, a conclusion is given, which specifies
the physical and chemical characteristics of the type of product. If
everything is correct, then the business entity is given a certificate,
and it can present its products at the market. The standardization
department establishes and maintains a state fund of standardization
regulations, provides the expertise and registration of the technical
conditions and their changes, and helps the business entities in the
preparation of documents required for the accreditation of expert
laboratories. In addition, the department provides the expertise
of state works of state bodies, names, technical specifications,
the correctness of filling in the codes and units.
- I should note that we cannot have national standards, so we
apply the standards of the RA. The metrology department inspects
measuring tools, metrology certification, takes measurements,
is involved in arbitrations and site inspections. Simply speaking,
an entity that uses or sells measuring means, in accordance with the
periodicity fixed by the Government, must submit the measuring means
for certification. The list of measuring means is very large, but we
try to cover more areas within our technical equipment. Unfortunately,
not all the entities display conscientiousness here. Some of them,
unaware of the law, refuse to do it, and we have often to send them
subpoenas. In addition, we conduct an explanatory work and cooperate
with the appropriate agency in order to bring these entities into the
legal field. In this sense, each department carries out its activities
in accordance with the acting law.
- What is the material-technical basis of the Center? Are there
any works on its renewal and equipment or are you satisfied with what
you have?
- The work on the laboratories' re-equipment and acquisition of new
equipment is underway. To be frank, if we have corresponding funds,
we could enrich the material and technical basis, purchase expensive
up-to-date equipment allowing to determine the necessary parameters
much faster, in a few minutes. But, what we have is also enough for
the necessary examinations, diagnosis and testing. We have both new
equipment and that of the Soviet era.
- Currently, the outlets mainly use electronic scales. Are in this
case any violations and underweight excluded, given the fact that
the Centre checks also these measurement tools?
- Scales are tested, using weights. Within our mandate, we fulfill
our duties, checking them twice a year. The measuring means used in
Armenia are the standard for us, or our measurement tools are tested
and certified in Armenia. As for the violations, so the consumer
himself should act as a controller.- Mr. Harutyunyan, in fact,
only the quality of local products is checked in your lab. It turns
out that the imported products are delivered to the market and sold
without checking. And the people are not actually insured against
the use of substandard products...
- We have no authority and right to enter any outlet and take any
product for review. For this, an authorized service is needed. I
think the State Food Security Service, which has been recently
established within the NKR Ministry of Agriculture, could act as
such.We welcome its creation. By the way, we have already met with
its senior officials and discussed numerous issues. A cooperation
agreement has been achieved, which is natural: we should jointly
ensure the safety of products from harmful additives and chemicals.
The laboratory of the newly established structure is not equipped yet,
as it requires great funding. It also lacks corresponding specialists.
We have proposed the service leadership to use temporarily our
laboratory. In developed countries, Japanese laboratory equipment
production is used - it is more reliable in terms of accuracy and time
(short time of diagnosis), but it is very expensive. Life is going on,
times are changing, new requirements and approaches are appearing.
While a few years ago our center functioned incompletely, it faces
currently serious problems. Every year, our experts are retrained at
the RA National Institute of Standardization and receive corresponding
certificates.
- By the way, how is the cooperation with similar structures
in Armenia?
It is quite good and we have fine relations. In any issue, whether
it's a technical or professional, the structures of Armenia are always
ready to help us. All the regulations, which we are guided with, are
presented to us by the RA National Institute of Standardization. In
turn, the National Institute of Metrology verifies our measurement
tools and gives the corresponding brand ... Our cooperation is
expanding, and the mutual visits have become frequent. Taking the
chance,- I urge everybody to use the local products - whether
it's dairy or meat products, poultry.... I can assure everyone that
the certified products have no additives and they meet the required
standards. It is known that currently some diseases are caused by
substandard products containing various additives. People get fat
from them, and many countries are concerned about this problem. So,
one of the most important tasks today is to provide the population
with qualitative products. According to its abilities, our structure
is struggling against substandard products. Many programs are planned,
but we'd not like to speak about them yet. We'll talk about them when
their implementation starts.
Laura GRIGORIAN