A concept worked out by the Union of Home Producers will be submitted to the finance and budgetary commission of the Public Council of Armenia, Chairman of the Union Vazgen Safaryan told reporters today. He pointed out that the concept provides for a number of measures to protect local producers’ interests and enhance competitiveness in case the Armenian-Turkish border is reopened.

“We must be not only a consumer, but also producer and exporter country. It must become our principal strategy,” Safraryan said.

Safaryan presented some of the Union’s initiatives. “Low-interest and long-term credits to local producers must become one of the first steps. Second, customs bans on products that can be manufactured in Armenia,” he said.

The Union proposes revision of Armenia’s tax and tariff policy. “When gas tariffs are too high (imported at U.S. $154, sold to the population at U.S. 266) the water price rises as well. The result is that the cost of production is higher than on other markets, but our products are not competitive. If this policy is not revised, cheap Turkish products will flood the Armenian market, and the local producers will go bankrupt,” Safaryan said.

In this context he pointed out the importance of creating conditions for developing domestic production.