Yerevan /Mediamax/. In the fiscal year of 2008-2009, Yerevan Brandy Company (YBC, “ArArAt” brand) managed to maintain the production volume of 4 million liters registered in the previous year, as well as fix some slight growth of export volumes.

Mediamax reports that YBC Executive Director Ara Grigoryan said this at a news conference, devoted to the results of the fiscal year that concluded on July 30.

He informed that the profit of YBC during the past fiscal year increased by 14% and reached 17bln AMD. According to Grigoryan, such increase is conditioned mainly by national currency devaluation.

Ara Grigoryan stated that the influence of the global economic crisis in the Company is felt mainly in the form of decrease in activity in the Russian sales market, which is the main market for YBC, as a result of which the company failed to secure the planned growth of 18%, and following the results of the first two months of 2009-2010 fiscal year, 50% decrease in production is already registered in the company.

Touching upon the ways to come out of the crisis, Ara Grigoryan spoke about carrying out a more aggressive marketing policy and expand the geography of sales markets in Europe, Asia and Africa.

Ara Grigoryan informed that the company is starting purchase of grape without any changes, related to the crisis, planning to procure 32 thousand tons of grape, the figure making 1 thousand tons more, as compared to the previous year’s index. In Armavir and Aygavan branches of YBC, purchase will start respectively on September 16 and 18 at the price of 130 AMD per a kilo of grape, and in Tavush branch, starting on September 28 at the price of 120 AMD per a kilo.

Talking about the company’s achievements in the past fiscal year, Ara Grigoryan noted that YBC carried out no staff reduction related to the crisis, and the total volume of investments made 2bln AMD. Executive Director of the company also informed that in October, 2009, a new distillation workshop was put into operation in Tavush, and it will become a stimulus for developing viticulture in the region.

Ara Grigoryan also informed that in the past year, there have been large-scale investments realized to develop YBC tourism complex, and the number of the visitors to the company’s museum made about 10 thousand people.