As part of the “Chir-Chir” project under the UNDP “Sustainable Communities” programme, a training course on “Dried Fruit Preservation and Processing” was held in November 2024. The course was designed for residents involved in dried fruit production and processing in the Meghri community of the Syunik region. Participants learned about advanced methods for preserving and processing dried fruits, as well as the production of new dried fruit-based products. They were also introduced to the activities of the UNDP “Sustainable Communities” programme. At the end of the training, participants took an exam and received certificates of participation, along with the “Practical Manual on Dried Fruit and Vegetable Production” developed by the programme.

“Dried fruit production is widespread in the Meghri community. During our monitoring visits, we decided to implement the ‘Chir-Chir’ project here and explore opportunities with beneficiaries for developing new dried fruit-based products,” said Lusine Balayan, an expert with the UNDP “Sustainable Communities” programme.

The 22 beneficiaries who achieved high scores in the examination received mills from UNDP to enhance dried fruit processing and develop new products.