ArmInfo. Minister of Economy Gevorg Papoyan refuses to believe in a slowdown in Armenia's economic growth. Referring to data from the Statistical Committee for October of this year, he noted that such a slowdown could not have occurred, as key sectors of the economy have experienced significant growth.
In an interview with Civil.net, he noted that the reported 4.2% economic growth by the Statistical Committee is allegedly attributed to an 8.2% decrease in the agricultural sector, where livestock farming saw a 0.1% growth, and crop production a 16% decline. According to the minister, this data doesn't not reflect the real picture, as it does not even align with the dynamics of agricultural exports. At the same time, he disagreed with the interviewer's remark that the rise in exports was due to re-exports. Papoyan noted that over the past 20 years, everything in our country has changed except for the calculation methodology of the domestic Statistical Committee. He mentioned that there can be no errors in calculating data in animal husbandry, as the number of cattle is accurately recorded and numbered, with a similar process now in place for small cattle. However, when it comes to plant growing, as the minister said, the Statistical Committee receives data from regional administrations through phone calls, which in turn gather information by calling community administrations. The information collected at the community level is based on everyday conversations with farmers.
Complaining that statistical data is collected at an amateur level, Papoyan noted that the only thing that has changed in the department is the appearance of new computers instead of dusty folders. "And this is one of our big problems," he said. The head of the department emphasized that without knowing the real picture in a particular industry, it is impossible to conduct an effective policy. The minister dismissed the possibility of a slowdown in economic growth rates citing a 19% increase in electricity production, a 5.3% acceleration in production growth, a 13.7% growth in construction sector and a 5.2% growth in the service sector. "Of course, it is not possible that all sector show growth, including the acceleration of the industrial sector, a sharp increase in electricity consumption, a sharp increase in exports, in agricultural products, and have economic growth of 4.2%," the minister noted.
