ArmInfo. Last year, Armenia's agricultural sector recorded a 1.1% decline against a 1.4% growth in 2020, mainly due to a decline in the production of grain-crops, RA Deputy Minister of Economy Arman Khojoyan said in an interview.
Despite a 2.7% increase in the areas under crops, the output showed a 38% decline, the main reason being lack of water. In this context, Mr Khojoyan highlights the importance of modern irrigation systems. "Water deficit in the agricultural sector is among the major risks at the international level. So it is most important for farmers to install modern irrigation systems as soon as possible, especially with much better conditions under the government assistance programmes. Farmers who install irrigation systems will get 50% of their money back against the previous 22%," Mr Khojoyan said.
He also reported positive dynamics in the exports of agricultural products. Specifically, Armenia exported AMD 432bln worth agro-industrial products last year - AMD 64bln more than in 2020 and almost as much as in the pre-pandemic period. Armenia's exports of fruits and vegetables totaled 207,000 tons last year - 140,000 to 145,000 tons more than in 2020 and 2019.
Last year, Armenia's government allocated a total of AMD 150bln to support the country's agricultural sector, with the leasing support programme in high demand. Under the AMD 13.5bln leasing programme farmers were provided with 1,350 pieces of agricultural equipment. In 2020, the leasing programme was AMD 8bln.
Last year, the gross output of the agricultural sector, forestry and fishery totaled AMD 977.3bln - a 1% year-on-year decline. The agricultural sector recorded a 1.1% decline (down to AMD 993bln), forestry recorded a 25.9% decline (down to AMD 1.5bln). The fishing industry recorded 3.2% growth, up to AMD 42.8bln.
