CARD and US Embassy in Armenia tasting wines and cheese

CARD and US Embassy in Armenia tasting wines and cheese

2009-12-19 16:08:00

ArmInfo. US Ambassador to Armenia Marie Yovanovitch opened the 10th
annual wine and cheese tasting evening-party on December 18.
Representatives of the Agriculture Ministry of Armenia, including
deputy Minister Levon Rukhkyan, took part in the evening-party
organized in US Embassy in Armenia by the Center of Agriculture and
Rural Development (CARD) and the American Embassy.

According to M. Yovanovitch, this event affords a good opportunity to
the local producers to present their products, and the visitors –
discover new products. Seven winemaking companies presented 22 kinds
of Armenian wines, including an apricot wine, and 11 cheese factories
– 20 kinds of cheese, including "Gauda" cheese and Feta cheese (sheep
cheese). To note, all these companies got technical, consulting or
financial assistance by the programmes of US Department of
Agriculture.

In his part, Head of CARD representation in Armenia Gagik Sardaryan
said the US Department of Agriculture does not extend grants to the
Armenian farmers at present, but it provides credits within the frames
of the Millennium Challenge Account programmes. Moreover, he said,
different seminars are held for the farmers and veterinaries.

To note, the CARD Foundation, which has been functioning since April
2005, is continuation of the Marketing Assistance Programme of the US
Department of Agriculture (USDA MAP), within the frames of which
financial, technical and marketing assistance was provided to over 160
Armenian enterprises in the sphere of agribusiness from 1993 to 2005,
as well as to 25 production and commercial cooperatives, 50 Credit
clubs and thousand of farm enterprises in all the regions of Armenia.
Today, CARD also functions in the sphere of agribusiness and
marketing, rural development and rendering of financial services.

According to the data of the National Statistical Service of Armenia,
wine production volumes in Armenia in Jan-Oct 2009 made up 2330.7 thsd
liters, having grown by 12,7%, as compared to the similar period of
2008, and cheese – 13826.1 tons, having grown by 0,5% per year.