4 April 2018

2 minute read

Asia

ARKA News Agency reports that speaking after the signing ceremony, agriculture minister Ignaty Arakelyan said under the agreement several studies will be carried out, and their results will be used to develop a strategy for the production of feed, milk and dairy products, as well as cattle breeding in general.

According to him, two studies will be aimed at the formation of three principles for the stable development of agriculture. They will involve the quality of feeds, the effective use of meadows and pastures, the health of livestock, and the safety of food.

The correct use of the research results is supposed to provide an opportunity to increase Armenia's level of self-sufficiency in food and reduce poverty. According to Mr Arakelyan, it is also necessary to understand how much livestock can be kept in Armenia. He said the livestock is now half as many as in the Soviet times.

"We need to understand how to feed livestock in order to get the most. In Armenia, the main breed of cows is the Caucasian brown, which can produce up 4,000 tons of milk per year," Mr Arakelyan said.

FAO representative in Armenia, Raymund Yele, in turn, noted that in 2016 almost 80 per cent of the milk consumed in Armenia was locally produced. In his words, this is an indication that there is potential for increasing milk production.

Mr Yele noted also that Armenia should make extra efforts to breed thoroughbred cattle, increase feed production and improve milk processing.

He said additional attention should be given to infrastructure problems in order to work out measures to address them.

TheCattleSite News Desk