YEREVAN, May 19. /ARKA/. ACBA-CREDIT AGRICOLE BANK has named today the winners of a free “Certification of Organic Agricultural Products” program. The program, aimed at analyzing the current situation in the market of organic agricultural products is designed for companies and individuals that are interested in obtaining organic certifications.
The first of its kind program is a joint initiative of ACBA-CREDIT AGRICOLE BANK and Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU), one of the oldest and largest environment associations in Germany.
Four companies, out of several dozens of applicants, have been named as winners. They are honey producer LLC Our Mountains Holding, Mega Ararat Company, engaged in gathering of mountain berries, herbs and production of herbal tea, Armberry Company, growing raspberries and private entrepreneur Vahagn Hakobyan, who is engaged in cultivation of blackberries.
According to Narek Grigoryan, the head of the Armenian office of NABU, now all the winners of the contest are going through the certification process.
“The first of them will receive the certification in the near future. This will create good opportunities for it to start exporting its finished products to the European market. The certification of the other three companies will be completed before the end of the year,” he said.
Narek Asatryan ACBA-CREDIT AGRICOLE BANK public relations officer, said the development of small and medium-sized enterprises in rural communities plays a key role in the bank’s corporate social responsibility policy.
According to him, the program stimulates creation of new jobs even before the companies start exports. ‘As a matter of fact, we are creating a unique movement in Armenia, stimulating the development of SMEs engaged in production of organic products in the rural communities. This program will be continued, of which we will announce further,’ he said.
ACBA was established in 1996 as part of EU’s TACIS program. As a result of a long-term and mutually beneficial cooperation between ACBA Bank and the French Credit Agricole the latter became the biggest shareholder of ACBA in 2006, September. ACBA was restructured, becoming a closed joint stock company and was renamed ACBA CREDIT AGRICOLE BANK. -0-
