Income-Generating Activities - Action Against Hunger

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washed wool is 1300-1500 AMD and non-washed wool is 400-500 AMD. It is important
to mention that milk and meat of this type of sheep also can be used.
They buy most of wool from Vayots Dzor and Syuniq regions. The demand of wool
by all companies together is about 136 tons of white wool of “balbas” sheep annually.
Findings
The findings of this study are the following:
There is evidence that the lamb/mutton consumption is seasonal and consumers
use it mainly to make various dishes for hosting guests. According to the results of a
consumer survey, beef is the main meat type used by consumers. There is a need of
undertaking a new market research with the purpose of finding out the reason why
people don’t buy from stores.
Food market sellers’ interviews revealed that the market is supplied mainly by a
few suppliers on behalf of “Ezdis”, specializing in breeding sheep.
For restaurant trade it was found that menus are in place for several months without
change, so the ability to source a product over the medium and long-term is important.
The interview with the executive chef of Tufenkian restaurants suggested that
when consumers eat in luxury restaurants, they are buying not just the food; they are
buying the atmosphere, the service and the overall dining experience. It is a given in
the consumer’s mind that the food quality is beyond reproach. Producers selling to
the restaurant trade, either directly or through wholesalers should expect that 9-15
kg sheep are the most common size.
Chefs of all restaurants have purchased certified lamb/mutton for their restaurants.
However, they will be willing to buy from the slaughterhouses as long as it is a
single supplier.
The interviews suggested that restaurants are predominantly concerned with the
quality of the lamb/mutton they serve. While the price is an important part of the decision
for consumers to buy (mainly for Proshian street restaurants, it is not the case
for the restaurants who will add a bonus for certified lamb/mutton products.
Producers that want to sell directly to restaurants or to restaurant supply companies
should expect to produce high quality meat and distribute it using refrigerated
trucks and have sanitation certificate for lamb/mutton.
The study makes known that there is a specific demand for sheep milk, as importers
want some dairy products and sheep cheese, which is currently undeveloped
in Armenia. There are several markets with sheep cheese demand. It is important to
consider that the dairy product processors and cheese making factories don’t use sheep
milk because of lack of high quality milk (they will use milk processed in hygienic con-
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INCOME GENERATING ACTIVITIES: A KEY CONCEPT IN SUSTAINABLE FOOD SECURTIY