Thanks to the EU-funded European Neighbourhood Programme for Agriculture and Rural Development (ENPARD), six modern dried fruit and herb-production facilities have been established in the communities of Arevshat, Aragatsavan, Katnaghbyur, Byurakan, Dprabak and Geghard.
The facilities use a closed drying cycle and maintain food safety norms. They are now competitive in the market, present high-value products, and provide stable jobs and permanent incomes.
Tsovik Ohanyan manages the “Byur-Akn” cooperative in the Byurakan community of Aragatsotn marz (province). She says that ENPARD helped members of the cooperative to acquire business management and business development skills, establish market connections and prepare high-quality, delicious dried fruits using the latest technology.
“Now our cooperative is developing new boxes jointly with ENPARD. We want to make sure that our delicious dried fruits, which are rich in vitamins and made from Byurakan’s sweet-tasting fruits, are available abroad in their new boxes and are accessible to everyone,” she says.
The ENPARD programme was launched in Armenia in January 2015 and is running for three years. It is designed to support agricultural institutions, encourage the development of farmers’ associations and improve access to more affordable food in the European Neighbourhood countries.
