CHAIRMAN OF ARMENIAN POULTRY FARMERS UNION COMPLAINS OF UNEQUAL COMPETITION

/ARKA/
March 22, 2010
YEREVAN

Sergey Stepanian, chairman of the Union of Armenian Poultry Farmers,
complained last Friday of unequal conditions set for importers of
chicken meat and local producers.

Speaking at a news conference he said he knows that imported chicken
meat goes through customs clearing at a price of 350 Drams per one
kg, which he said creates unequal conditions for local producers,
‘because local producers expect a 5-6% profit from their sales while
importers’ profits reach 80% per each kg of chicken meat.’

According to him, importers are required only to present a document
that the imported meat does not pose danger to human health, while all
other mandatory standard requirements are ignored by customs officers.

He said the Union of Poultry Farmers is going to ask the government
to remove this inequality.

‘The government has developed a program for revising national
standards this year and after these reforms are enforced we expect
that we shall have equal rights,’ he said.

Melisa Hakobian, chairwoman of the National Assembly of Consumers,
expressed her concerns over the import of genetically modified products
to Armenia, saying their negative impact will come to surface in
several years.