FAO backs Armenia in evaluating phytosanitary capacity strategy
13.02.2013,
14:26
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.
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-
