ArmInfo. The share of the mining industry in the total volume of Armenia's exports decreased from 60% to 30%. Armenian Minister of Economy Vahan Kerobyan stated this in an interview with the Armenpress agency.
At the same time, he recalled that the government's program consistently attached particular importance to the development of industry, with the identification of priority sectors for the development of which road maps were developed. But the mining industry was not the goal, although, according to the minister, it occupies the prevailing part of the industry.
Kerobyan noted that priority sectors are growing intensively, naming jewelry, equipment production, food, metallurgy, etc. However, he noted that in terms of the chemical industry, the development of which is necessary in the conditions of ensuring high productivity of the economy, the situation is not very favorable. "We are just starting to develop the chemical industry and have rather ambitious plans, because we can say that we are trying to restore the lost industry," he said.
It should be noted that according to the preliminary data of the RA Statistical Committee, in H1 2022, the industrial sector of Armenia grew by 5.8%, instead of growth by 2.1% a year earlier, providing a volume of 1.2 trillion drams ($2.5 billion). According to the Union of Informed Citizens for 2021, the lion's share of Armenia's exports are mining ($928.3 million), followed by prepared foods ($624 million), base metals and products made from them ($364.4 million), precious and semi-precious stones and products made from them ($333 million), followed by products of plant origin, textile production, live animals, etc.