YEREVAN. – The wine and brandy being produced in Armenia need to undergo a proper verification of authenticity, former Deputy Minister of Agriculture Garnik Petrosyan, told Armenian News-NEWS.am.

In his words, Armenian wines and brandies with same labels, but purchased from two different stores, often differ in quality.

To note, brandy alcohol is imported more to Armenia, and the alcoholic beverage received from its substance is presented as Armenian brandy.

“For that reason, today, they start not to recognize—and even disregard—some of our products, in the Russian market,” said Petrosyan. “And this means that we [i.e. Armenia] may lose our positions in the market.

“Sadly, producers don’t always conduct an independent test to check the authenticity of ingredients.”

As per the ex-official, however, this is the case when the respective factories in Armenia are earning more than the farmers.

“The [Armenian] state’s attitude does not change toward the farmer and his work,” Garnik Petrosyan added, in particular.