By Lia Avagyan
The Armenian government has ordered a renewed effort to increase domestic wheat production, directing officials to identify unused agricultural land and prepare an investment program to cultivate it.
The decision followed a government review of Armenia’s wheat sector and food security. Economy Minister Gevorg Papoyan presented findings on the country’s wheat value chain while proposing measures to strengthen the sector.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has instructed relevant agencies to map the suitable agricultural land and develop investment proposals to put it back into production.
This comes as Armenia’s dependence on imported wheat has reached its highest level in years. The country’s wheat self-sufficiency has fallen from 53.2% in 2016 to just 22.8% in 2024, while the amount of land used for growing wheat has steadily declined.
The challenge has become even greater since the loss of Nagorno-Karabakh. Before the 2020 war, wheat from the region accounted for roughly 10 to 12% of Armenia’s total wheat imports. In response, the government launched a subsidy program in 2021 to help offset the loss of grain supplies.
One of the biggest obstacles remains the large amount of abandoned farmland across the country. Much of Armenia’s agricultural land was privatized into small plots after the collapse of the Soviet Union, but many owners later emigrated while retaining ownership, leaving significant areas uncultivated.
Economist Tigran Jrbashyan believes the government should also examine whether expanding domestic wheat production is the most effective way to strengthen food security, or whether greater emphasis should be placed on strategic grain reserves, diversified imports and improved storage infrastructure.
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