Center for Agribusiness and Rural Development Foundation

Armenia produced the majority of the former Soviet Union’s blue and yellow cheeses, but after the 1988 earthquake and the collapse of the Soviet Union, cheese production dropped to 3-5% and all major producers shut down.

The United States Department of Agriculture’s Marketing Assistance Project (USDA MAP) and CARD have been at the forefront of the campaign to revive the industry, improving the lives of farmers and producers throughout the country. From vast improvements in milk yield due to advanced genetics and breeding to the development of new cheeses for Armenia, the dairy sector is recovering. Today, cheeses are exported to Russia and the United States.