50 trucks of Armenian apricots headed to new export market, official says

Fifty trucks loaded with Armenian apricots are currently en route to a new export market, the head of Armenia's Food Safety Inspectorate said on Friday, while highlighting the country's efforts to expand agricultural exports through long-term food safety monitoring.

Speaking at a news conference, Tigran Petrosyan, head of Armenia's Food Safety Inspectorate, said the European Union requires countries seeking to export certain food products to undergo at least five years of monitoring before market access is granted.

Under a government-approved program, Armenian authorities collected samples annually from fish farms and honey producers across different regions of the country and submitted laboratory testing results to the European Union, Petrosyan said.

"The European Union wants five or more years of monitoring for countries exporting products to its member states," Petrosyan noted.

He said the monitoring focused on compliance with EU requirements, including testing for residues and antibiotics. After five consecutive years without significant deviations, the EU last year approved imports of fish and fish products from Armenia, he added.