This project is unprecedented, a matter of honor for me personally, says Yeremyan Projects CEO

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 31, ARMENPRESS. The company of Yeremyan Projects and the Eurasian Development Bank signed a cooperation agreement on August 5, 2022, according to which, in the Tashir community of Armenia's Lori Province, Yeremyan Projects launched the construction of a unique livestock complex in Armenia.

The official opening of the first-of-its-kind complex took place on October 28.

Armenpress has interviewed Yeremyan Projects CEO Davit Yeremyan about the modern farm, its goals and future plans.

- Mr. Yeremyan, since 2019, Yeremyan Projects restaurants have been provided with dairy and meat products of their own production, and since 2020, these high-quality dairy products have become available on the mass market. Why did you decide to expand production on such a scale?

- Before launching the program, our goal was to establish such a farm in Armenia, which will bring animal husbandry and the milk production to a new level. One of the goals and the most important is to ensure food security in Armenia, because our strategy to work in the framework of “From seed to table” concept allows us to control every stage of milk production, which greatly contributes to overcoming today's challenges of ensuring food security.

We have assumed a great responsibility to develop a new culture of modern animal husbandry and dairy production in Armenia. Our activity is aimed at producing and supplying high-quality milk, we are trying to form a new culture of drinking high-quality milk. That is why our company has made an unprecedented investment in Armenia in this direction.

Unfortunately, there are very few farms in Armenia that operate with this model. And we want our farm in Vayots Dzor to be a new culture and an example.

- Mr. Yeremyan, how long did the construction work last, what do we have at the moment and what is expected in the near future? Have you encountered any obstacles along the way?

- According to the memorandum, the total budget of the project was 43.5 million US dollars.

Construction work lasted 14 months. To achieve such a result in such a time frame is, in a word, fantastic. And I want to thank our entire team for the done work. The team was the driving force that made me believe in our strength, inspired me and convinced me that we will have success. And thanks to their daily dedicated and responsible work, we have such a result.

I am grateful to the parties of the investment project - the Government of the Republic of Armenia, the Eurasian Development Bank, HSBC Bank for their trust and support. Thanks to or partners this mega-project has become a reality.

As part of the project, approximately 70,000 square meters of infrastructure have been constructed and furnished in a 32-hectare area. Currently, we have a cattle farm designed for 1,500 animals, which is expected to produce 40,000 to 45,000 liters of milk per day.

The pig farm, which is part of the complex, is designed for keeping 580-600 sows, which allows producing up to 17,000 animals per year.

We have our own plots of land on the territory of the complex, where we sow the seeds ourselves, process them in our own mill and supply them to the animals. The next important stage is the correct processing of milk, its packaging and presentation to the consumer. Only after all these stages will our closed cycle be completed. During all these stages, we should be consistent, working with the right approaches in order to have a high- quality product.

As for the obstacles, perhaps the only problem was the shortage of specialists, because farms of this scale and with such requirements had not been built in Armenia before. But we have managed to fill this gap with our foreign partners. They helped us with their professional skills, experience and advice.

In the near future, we will continue to work on the construction of the slaughterhouse, which we will need in the spring, and on the factory, which will be ready for operation after finalizing a few details.

- Mr. Yeremyan, have the colleagues visited the farm during this time? What were their opinions?

- To be honest, our colleagues were also surprised by the results and quality of our team’s work. During this period, we have opened 90 jobs in Tashir and another 200 jobs at our plant in Yerevan. All specialists undergo training. Our partners of the the agro-industrial holding "Zalesye" are happy to share their knowledge, share their experience and advice.

Indeed, we continue to surprise many people with our work. But our goal is to serve as an example, set a standard and ensure high-quality. We are introducing new approaches to the agricultural economy of Armenia. There are no milkmaids or cattlemen in our complex; work here requires more professional knowledge and skills.

Our employees perform complex and very valuable work, which requires them to completely change their approach, learn, and master new methods.