Armenian Government Reports Strong Growth in Agriculture

Grapes harvested at a vineyard in the Ararat Valley. (Source: Photolure)

YEREVAN (Azadutyun)”” According to the Agriculture Minister Sergo Karapetian, Armenia’s agricultural output rose by nearly 12 percent to 931.4 billion drams ($1.94 billion) from January to November of 2015, thus greatly contributing to continued economic growth in the country.

The official figure is equivalent to more than one-fifth of Gross Domestic Product which the Armenian government expects to increase by at least 3 percent in real terms this year.

Favorable weather conditions appear to have been instrumental in the agricultural sector’s strong performance. In particular, they translated into plentiful harvests of apricots, grapes and other fruits and vegetables.

“Armenian farmers harvested almost 370,000 metric tons of wheat, up by 9 percent from 2014. For the first time in decades, Armenia satisfied more than half of its domestic demand for wheat,”