Pashinyan: Armenia’s agricultural sector is experiencing a decline this year, which has its reasons

Arminfo. A decline is being observed in Armenia’s agricultural sector this year. Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan stated this on September 16 during Government Hour in the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia, responding to a question from Narek Karapetyan, head of the opposition Strong Armenia faction.

In particular, the deputy raised the question of how much Armenia’s agricultural sector had grown in 2026.

In response, Pashinyan stated that there had been no growth in the agricultural sector; on the contrary, a decline was being observed, which had not come as a surprise for several reasons. First and foremost, according to the government program, agriculture should be understood as intensive agriculture. The methods still being used in the sector cannot be considered agriculture. Moreover, they will never grow, and continuing in the same vein means pushing the country backward.  “We must actively develop intensive agriculture while simultaneously diversifying the export destinations for domestic products. If any sector of the economy is dependent on a single center to an incomparably high degree, this means that there is a lack of management to ensure and develop the given sector,” the prime minister said.

He considered it incorrect to use the phrase “a decline during your tenure,” since the agricultural sector has its own calculation methodology, especially as the year has not yet ended.  Numerous programs are being implemented in the sector, as evidenced by the amount of assistance provided to farmers since 2018. During this period, rural residents received financial assistance amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars. This assistance continues today as well.