The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Center for Agribusiness and Rural Development (CARD) organized a business to business (B2B) event today in Tbilisi which focused on enhancing market linkages in the dairy sectors of Armenia and Georgia. More than 50 farmers, veterinarians and agricultural input suppliers from Georgia, Armenia and other countries attended.

The overall goal of the B2B event was to present best farming practices and good examples of inputs and technologies to Armenian and Georgian farmers and to create market linkages between the two countries’ value chain operators and international suppliers. FAO works with local private sector companies in both countries, helping to connect entities with complementary strengths in order to improve access to technology and information exchanges along the dairy and meat value chain.

The event focused on the challenges facing the animal husbandry sectors in Armenia and Georgia, and on opportunities for strengthening these sectors through better animal feed, cow comfort technologies and developments in genetics. It also offered participants from Georgia and Armenia a unique opportunity to meet and exchange views, experiences and know-how on these areas of expertise. Nutrimax, DeLaval, Alta Genetics, Maisadour and other companies participated in the event, presenting their products, equipment and technologies.

 “The CARD Foundation has a great deal of experience in introducing and promoting advanced technologies by bringing the best international producers into local markets,” said Sona Telunts, CARD Programs Director. “These organizations dedicate significant resources to research and development and have accumulated know-how and expertise which are essential for our markets. Events like this bring key expertise to local markets and introduce it to local farmers. They also expand the range of animal husbandry products and services available in Armenia and Georgia.”

Last September in Tsaghkadzor, Armenia, a meeting was organized to support the local private sector in Armenia and Georgia in their engagement on implementing the Sustainable Development Goals with a focus on food security and nutrition. Following that, FAO was requested to facilitate further exchanges between key local private sector actors of Georgia and Armenia. The B2B event today is the first follow-up event of its kind to this request.

Magali Herranz, FAO programme officer, highlighted the importance of supporting local business development to address challenges within the dairy value chain. “We hope that both, Armenia and Georgia will be enriched from exchanging experiences and lessons learned through this B2B meeting which will pave the way for further collaboration between relevant actors from the two countries,” Herranz said. “Every company, be it large or small, has the potential to make a notable contribution to inclusive and shared economic, social and environmentally sustainable progress.”

Representatives of line ministries, other governmental agencies and partner organizations of both countries also participated in the one-day workshop.

Since December 2017, the CARD Foundation - with the support of FAO - has carried out several research projects to assess the dairy sector in Armenia and Georgia, in collaboration with the Georgian Farmers Association. These studies have helped to both identify gaps in the dairy production value chains and propose improvement mechanisms. Events like this, which allow Armenian and Georgian farmers to meet and exchange experiences, are part of the programme to strengthen the dairy sector.