YEREVAN, August 14. /ARKA/. The ACBA-CREDIT AGRICOLE BANK in cooperation with the Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU), one of the oldest and largest environment associations in Germany, organized a training for about 250 farmers, experts, heads of laboratories and business entities engaged in organic agriculture, to share new knowledge and skills, the Yerevan-based bank said in a news release today.

The training was organized as part of the 'Organic Agriculture Development Program', implemented jointly by the bank and NABU with the co-financing of the Austrian Development Agency.

The training participants obtained new knowledge and skills, which can help many rural Armenian communities in their everyday life- processing, packaging and storage of organic products, as well as prospects for the production of organic honey, tea and herbs. The industry specialists placed special focus on the following topics:

Organic product processing,
Organic product certification,
Organic product storage,
Organic product packaging
Organic raw materials purchasing,
The basic principles for the gathering of organic raw materials,
Procurement team, determination of the gathering period,
Raw material gathering,
Signs of poisoning,
Primary processing of raw materials,
Organic honey certification standards,
Medicinal herbs, choice of territories, tools,
Bringing organic products to market.
How to diversify organic honey,
Sale of organic products and marketing.

"Our goal is to stimulate the development of organic agriculture in Armenia and to assist industry producers. With the assistance of ACBA-CREDIT AGRICOLE BANK and NABU, organic producers also get the opportunity to acquire certificates of organic food producer and significantly increase their export prospects," said NABU-Armenia Director Narek Grigoryan.

According to him, such trainings are instrumental to beneficiaries in terms of obtaining new knowledge, thanks to which they will be able to expand their skills in the field of organic production.
The cooperation between ACBA-CREDIT AGRICOLE BANK and NABU was launched in 2015 as part of the Organic Agriculture Program.

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.

Founded in 1899, NABU encompasses more than 520,000 members and sponsors, who commit themselves to the conservation of threatened habitats, flora and fauna, to climate protection and energy policy. NABU`s main objectives are the preservation of habitats and biodiversity, the promotion of sustainability in agriculture, forest management and water supply and distribution, as well as to enhance the significance of nature conservation in our society. -0-