U.S. Department of Agriculture delegation visits Armenia for export talks

The Head of Armenia’s Food Safety Inspectorate, Tigran Petrosyan, met in Yerevan with a U.S. Department of Agriculture delegation to discuss cooperation.

The delegation included Rishan Chaudhry, U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Attaché (stationed at the U.S. Embassy in Ankara) covering Armenia; USDA Senior Specialist for Armenia and Georgia, Demna Dzirkvadze (stationed in Georgia); and Ben Kairn, International Program Specialist for Armenia and Georgia assistance projects at the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service based in Washington, the Food Safety Inspectorate said in a press release.

The discussions focused on the export of agricultural products from Armenia to the United States, particularly plant and animal origin products, as well as issues related to the development of laboratory capacities, digitalization of systems, and product traceability.

Rishan Chaudhry emphasized the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s readiness to support the Armenian Food Safety Inspectorate in addressing potential challenges in the aforementioned areas.

Tigran Petrosyan informed the delegation that Armenia has begun preparatory work to join the ‘ePhyto’ program, with the system expected to launch in 2026, which will simplify the process of exporting agricultural products from Armenia to the United States for Armenian producers.

At the end of the meeting, both sides agreed to deepen cooperation between the authorized bodies of the two countries, which will also serve to promote the diversified development of the market.