YEREVAN. - Year 2015 was one of the most unfavorable ones for the Armenian cargo export, the Association of International Road Carriers of Armenia (AIRCA) President Herbert Hambardzumyan told Armenian News – NEWS.am. Export of fresh fruit and brandy especially suffered as a result, he added.   

“If you remember, due to the strong heat last summer, apricots ripened almost simultaneously in all the province of Armenia. Whereas usually they ripen with 40 day difference: first in Ararat province, then in Armavir, etc. And last year almost the entire harvest – nearly 500 trucks - went to Moscow. And this was much even for enormous Moscow. It’s well-known that the apricots can’t be kept long. Great difficulties arose in this connection: the goods of many exporters found no sale and spoiled,” Hambardzumyan said.

According to him, the orders on export of brandy and water significantly reduced in 2015.

To the question on whether this wasn’t compensated by the export of cigarettes, which has been dramatically increasing since 2014, Hambardzumyan noted that their export to the Arab countries is carried out by non-Armenian companies.