Armenia aims to double grain output and cover half of sowing costs on plots of 3 hectares or more
Armenia’s government aims to double grain production in 2026–2031. To that end, it will cover half of farmers’ main costs of sowing grains, pulses and perennial grasses, or AMD 80,000 (about $221) per hectare for winter wheat. The draft government decision on the 2026–2030 crop production support programme is open for public comment until November 3.
Armenia grows about a quarter of the wheat it needs. According to the Statistical Committee of Armenia, wheat self-sufficiency stood at 23.2% in 2025. The wheat harvest was 132,700 tonnes from 50,300 hectares, a yield of 2.66 tonnes per hectare, while imports reached 332,300 tonnes. In the first half of 2026, Armenia imported 168,500 tonnes of wheat, with imports up 54% in the second quarter. The total harvest of grains and pulses was 253,000 tonnes in 2025. In the second quarter of 2026, agriculture accounted for 6.6% of GDP; its output fell 15.3% year on year, taking 0.97 percentage points off GDP growth.
Compensation is calculated from average market prices for ploughing, sowing, harvesting and seed per hectare, based on surveys in Armenia’s provinces.
| Crop | Costs per ha, AMD | Compensation per ha, AMD |
|---|---|---|
| Spring grains | 140,000 | 70,000 |
| Maize | 170,000 | 85,000 |
| Winter wheat | 160,000 | 80,000 |
| Pulses (peas, beans, lentils, chickpeas) | 200,000 | 100,000 |
| Alfalfa, sainfoin (first year) | 220,000 | 110,000 |
The programme is open to farms cultivating at least 3 hectares of agricultural land. Where a plot has several co-owners, only one of them may take part. Seeds must be certified and laboratory-tested. Spring grains and perennial grasses must be sown by June 1 (by June 10 in Tsaghkahovit and the upper sub-zone of Amasia, highland communities in the north), pulses by June 10 and winter wheat by November 30. In 2026, the programme will cover only winter wheat sowing.
According to the justification, 4,904 farmers sowed 19,197 hectares under the 2024 programme, with subsidies of AMD 1.47 billion. Under the 2025 spring programme, 5,202 farmers sowed 24,006 hectares with AMD 1.84 billion in subsidies. The average plot grew from 3.9 to 4.6 hectares. Of the 67,104 hectares of winter wheat sown for the 2026 harvest, up 40.3% from 47,832 hectares a year earlier, 41,100 hectares were sown with certified seed by 9,785 participants in the 2025 programme, which had a budget of AMD 3.386 billion.
Spring grains and pulses covered 59,915 hectares in 2025, up 11.5% from 2023. The justification says unstable local wheat prices discourage sowing, and most concentrated feed for poultry and pig farming is imported.
By 2030, the programme aims for 71,300 hectares sown with certified seed, including 50,000 hectares of winter wheat. The budget of the new programme is not stated in the draft or the justification. The decision will take effect the day after publication.
Photo: Magnific/aleksandarlittlewolf
