ArmInfo. Production volumes in the industrial sector of Armenia in H1 2022 accelerated growth to 5.8% (from 2.1% a year earlier), reaching 1.2 trillion drams ($2.5 billion). This is evidenced by the data of the RA Statistical Committee, according to which the industry showed an increase of 17.1% with ay-o-y growth of 19 % in June alone (June 2022 to June 2021).
The accelerated growth of the industrial sector is supported by the processing industry, which increased its volumes in H1 2022 by 15.1% per annum, with an increase of 22.3% in June, and a higher increase compared to June 2021 - by 34%, while a year earlier the half-year and monthly dynamics were downward - 1.1% and 0.3%, respectively. As a result, the volume of production in the processing industry reached 718.9 billion drams ($1.5 billion) in H1 2022.
At the same time, the dynamics in the mining industry and the development of open pits in H1 2022, worsened to a 10.3% decline (from 7.2% growth a year earlier), with a subsidence of volumes to 295.4 billion drams. And the mining industry showed an increase of 6.6% in June alone, but compared to June 2021, a decline of 3.3% was recorded.
Growth in the processing industry in H1 2022 was mainly provoked by a significant increase in the production of machinery and equipment (3.1-fold), jewelry (by 63.1%), other non-metal products (by 59%), textiles (by 47.1%), finished metal products (by 43.6%), printing activities (by 37.7%), furniture (by 30.9%), basic metals (by 23.8%), food products (by 11.7% per annum). More modest growth was recorded in the production of cigarettes (by 8%), clothing (by 5.5%), pharmaceutical products (by 1.4%) and rubber products (by 1%). At the same time, the chemical industry (by 23.6%), as well as the production of beverages (by 0.7%), lingered in the decline, and the production of computers, electrical and optical equipment (by 27.3%) and production of electrical equipment (by 4.6%) were in this list with reduced volumes.
Food products (253.95 billion drams), basic metals (100.7 billion), drinks (86.8 billion), non-metal products (68.7 billion), cigarettes (62.7 billion drams) are leading in the processing industry in terms of production.
According to statistical data, the supply of electricity, gas, steam and conditioned air in general increased in H1 2022 compared to the same period in 2021 by 1% (against 9.5% growth a year earlier) - up to 166.8 billion drams, with a monthly increase of 9.3% and in y-o-y terms- by 5%. Moreover, the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity over the reporting period decreased by 2.6% per annum (against 9.8% growth a year earlier), and gas production, distribution of gaseous fuel through gas supply systems increased by 17.4% (against 7 .7% growth a year earlier).
Revenues from water supply, waste treatment and processing, and obtaining secondary raw materials in H 1 2022 increased by 7.7% per annum (against 5.6% growth a year earlier) - up to 12.5 billion drams. In June, this segment showed even greater growth - by 29.3%, with a y-o-y growth of 15.4%. Moreover, the upward y-o-y dynamics in this segment was mainly determined by the collection, processing and distribution of water and the treatment and processing of waste - by 7.7% and 15.2%, respectively.
The average settlement rate of the dram in June 2022 was 422.69 AMD/$1, and in January-June 2022 - 468.24 AMD/$1, against 513.09 AMD/$1 in June 2021 and 522.08 AMD/$1 in January- June 2021