YEREVAN, OCTOBER 26, ARMENPRESS. Within the framework of World Food Day, the Agrarian University hosted Director General of Yeremyan Projects Davit Yeremyan – one of the best examples of communication between agriculture and business. During a meeting with students, Davit Yeremyan presented the specificities of the From Farm To Table concept in Armenia by the example of the cooperation of Yeremyan Projects and Avan village.
Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Armenian Agrarian University Armen Harutyunyan noted that a serious issue of market exists for farming businesses, and in this case ensuring accessibility to a relevant market for SMEs is important.
“Yeremyan Projects company is unique in terms of being the first to immediately deliver quality and fresh goods to restaurants in Yerevan by creating collection points in farming communities. Thus, today the farmers can invest a huge part of the profit that was previously divided among the mediators into both solving their personal issues and enhancing their agricultural activities,” he said.
According to Armen Harutyunyan holding this kind of lectures aim at presenting the achievements and progress in the agricultural sector. “The Agrarian University is facing the threshold of quite comprehensive reforms and on the path of these reforms it is important for each student to be able to spend a part of their time in factories to acquire practical skills, among others,” Harutyunyan said.
Vice Rector for Academic Affairs Robert Makaryan highlighted the activities of Yeremyan Projects and made a cooperation offer to Davit Yeremyan so that the students of the university will be able to undergo practical training in the company.
“Exchange of experience has very important significance. Our students mainly acquire theoretic knowledge in universities, but there is a lack of practical lessons. We will continue this policy and we will regularly hold open classes during the year,” he added.
Speaking about the details, difficulties and achievements of the launch process of the Avan village project, Davit Yeremyan presented to the students his success formula of the mutually beneficial business-farm cooperation.
He said that From Farm To Table is a global social movement of farming community support that originated in the Unites States that aims to make the locally produced goods demanded in the restaurant business through direct procurements from farming producers.
“We’ve developed our model and introduced it in the Avan community of Aragatsotn province in July 2017. Through the efforts of Yeremyan Projects a procurement point of agricultural production was launched in Avan where residents of the community are able to sell agricultural goods – dairy products, meat products, eggs, fruits, vegetables, honey and others – at prices of Yerevan,” he said, adding that the village has 900 residents with 220 businesses, where farmers are mostly engaged in gardening and cattle-breeding.
Davit Yeremyan said that when he had his first meeting with residents of Avan community to present the project and make the offer to cooperate, initially the farmers were skeptical, many didn’t even consider this cooperation as a source of income, some even wanted to move from the village.
“Our project in Avan community has a social and business component. Firstly, one rarely comes across natural goods in Yerevan, secondly we relieve the burden of the villagers – they no longer have the need to reach Yerevan or other nearby cities in order to sell the product. Within the framework of the project the farmers are also provided with assistance in acquiring medicine and animal food,” he said.
The procurement point opened by Yeremyan Projects in Avan community is operating for already 1,5 year.
“During the past 12 months we had a turnover of 128 million drams. Moreover, the volumes of procurement of pork have increased 33%, beef 132%, honey 31% and garlic five times. Most importantly, we saw a change in the mentality of the farmers. The man who didn’t have hope initially was now thinking about expanding his business, which was very important for us. Can you imagine if each of the restaurants would take one village and cooperate in this format. We won’t have vulnerable communities no more,” he said, being pleased to note that cattle-breeding increased 30% in Avan.
Evaluating the results, we can conclude that thanks to the procurement point of Yeremyan Projects a high and sustainable market liquidity level has been developed in Avan community.
Davit Yeremyan didn’t rule out that soon similar projects will be carried out in other communities also.
This project was also praised by the government.
In 2017, Davit Yeremyan was awarded the Gold Medal For Agricultural Achievements by the ministry of agriculture for significant contribution and productive work in the development of Armenian agriculture.
Simultaneously with the meeting, the opening of the photo-exhibition of the From Farm To Table project took place in the hall of the university. The attended had the chance to get to know the daily life of Avan community through the photographs.
World Food Day(WFD) was established by United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization Member Countries at the Organization's 20th General Conference in November 1979. The purpose of World Food Day is to draw attention to existing problems in the food sector worldwide.
This year’s motto of World Food Day is “Zero Hunger: our actionstodayare our futuretomorrow”.
Yeremyan Projects operates the Pandok Yerevan (Tavern Yerevan) restaurant chain, the Lavash and Sherep restaurants and the Yerevani Shaurma fast-food restaurant chain.
Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
