ARMENIAN PM VISITS "BIOKAT" COMPANY

ARMENPRESS
MAY 18, 2010
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, MAY 18, ARMENPRESS: Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan
visited today "Biokat" company which is producing dairy products. He
walked around the workshop, got acquainted with the working process
after which a working discussion took place.

"Biokat" company produces eight kinds of classic and diet dairy with
more than 20 trade marks.

The owner of the company Hrachik Hakobyan said that the company
applied for getting 120 million AMD loan from "Small and Medium-Sized
Investments" company. In February 2009, immediately after getting the
loan, the works launched, new workshop has been built, the laboratory
has been equipped and new devices and tools have been brought.

Currently the company has 31 employees.

H. Hakobyan said that the company is planning to expand the types
of its products. "The works on creating workshops for producing
ice-creams and yogurts have already been finished and will work from
May 25. For organizing the work of the new workshop the number of
employees has been increased by 7," the owner of the company said,
adding that this new production has not been ensured by loan means.

In response to the question of reporters Tigran Sargsyan noted that
during the consultation the idea that the dairy producers must create
specialized non-governmental organization which will take the sphere
under its control, will oversight whether the competition rules
are maintained and the quality security standards in the market are
preserved was discussed.

"It will create a unity and self-control which is much stronger than
when the state is trying to regulate the issue. We too are ready to
support such NGOs, cooperate, recognize the certificates they provide,
give them certain status which will essentially increase their role
in the process of market regulation," the prime minister said.

Referring to the small and medium-sized enterprises assistance program,
Tigran Sargsyan noted that from the very beginning it was open and
transparent and the decisions made by the operative headquarter of
the Armenian government was under the control of the public. He said
the issue of the small and medium-sized business will also be under
the limelight of the government.

Armenian Agriculture Minister Gerasim Alaverdyan, chairman of the
Union of Manufacturers and Businessmen Arsen Ghazaryan and other
officials were too among the visitors.