|                                                                                                                                                             |  | REGIONAL CORNER: Armavir Province, Armenia                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
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|**BISNISHome PageSearchBISNISEmbassyReportsCountryReportsIndustryReportsPublicationsSourcesof FinanceLeadsand EventsExchangeRatesState ExportsOtherSources** |  | May 1999by George IsayanArmavir province is located in the southwestern part of Armenia, west of Yerevan. The province
has a total area of 477 sq. miles and a population of 315,500. Located in the fertile Ararat valley
between Mount Ararat and Mount Aragats, the province has a 45-mile common border with
Turkey, which runs along the Arax river. The climate in Armavir is sunny, dry, and continental.The industrial potential of Armavir is concentrated in three major cities: Armavir (the province's
capital), Echmiadzin, and Metsamor. The province has 40 large- and medium-scale industrial
enterprises involved in energy, electronics, food processing, chemicals, and machinery.
Ninety-five percent of these have been privatized.Agriculture is the largest and fastest growing sector of the province's economy. Eighty percent of
large- and medium-sized agricultural enterprises specialize in the processing of fruits and
vegetables supplied by local farmers.Major Cities and Opportunities
Armavir has 46,000 inhabitants and 20 large- and medium-scale enterprises, 80 percent of which
have been privatized. Among them are several large food processing companies. The Armavir
Brandy Factory is the second largest in Armenia after the Yerevan Brandy Factory. Both
factories have been acquired by France's Pernod Ricard company. Another large enterprise is
Map winery. It produces popular brands of wines and brandies for export to the nis countries
and, very recently, to the United States. The similarly named Matp is a successful furniture plant.
Equipped with modern Italian machinery, it sells various types of furniture in Armenia as well as
in neighboring Georgia.Echmiadzin is the largest city in the province. With its population of 65,000, it is home to 16
large- and medium-scale enterprises that specialize in food processing, chemicals, and apparel
production. Jrarat Poultry Factory JSC, with annual sales of $2.5 million, is the largest factory of
its kind in Armenia. The company in interested in establishing contacts with American
companies to upgrade existing facilities and import new technologies and equipment.
Echmiadzin is also home to a growing number of small private businesses engaged in retail
trading, gasoline supply, and provision of auto repair services. The city has five enterprises
involved in electronics that were originally established to fulfill orders for the Soviet defense
industry. One of these enterprises has designs that could be used in the automotive and electrical
engineering sector and is seeking an American investor to help restructure its facilities for
civilian production.Many enterprises operating in Armavir province are interested in establishing long-term
cooperation or a partnership with foreign investors and may offer U.S. firms interesting
investment opportunities in food processing, agribusiness, and electronic components
manufacturing.For more information on business opportunities in the province, contact Henrik Alexanian, Head
of Programs Department, or Hakob Hakobian, Head of Mass Media Department, Armavir
Governor's Office, tel: +374 (47) 65-547, 62-326, fax: +374 (47) 60-856. For more investment
opportunities in Armavir province, visit BISNIS Online at
www.mac.doc.gov/bisnis/country/caucasus.htm#Armenia.
George Isayan represents BISNIS and is located at the U.S. Embassy in Yerevan.This report is provided courtesy of the Business Information Service for the Newly
Independent States (BISNIS)