Armenia's untapped exports potential lies mainly in the fruit and vegetable, meat processing and dairy sectors. Yet, Armenia faces several challenges to develop these potential value chains for export. Lack of awareness of the importance of SPS requirements, weak knowledge among farmers and producers, inadequate testing facilities, and limited certification practices against recognised SPS international standards are among the key challenges faced.

This PPG will will support the government to work closely with all relevant stakeholders to address related capacity constraints and benefit from market opportunities. The purpose of this PPG is to: (i) apply STDF's framework to prioritize SPS investments for market access (P-IMA); and (ii) based on the consultations and final findings of the P-IMA tool, develop a focused project proposal and a national action plan to improve market access for Armenian agri-food products. This PPG is expected to help raise awareness on SPS issues, create a culture of evidence-based decision making and resource allocation and link building SPS capacity to broader public policy goals (agriculture development, innovation, poverty reduction and export growth), including Armenia's National Strategy for Agriculture Development (2020-2030).