Wheat Seed Subsidy Program Will Not Be Permanent, Lasts for 2 Years: Pashinyan

It is very important to note that we do not provide farmers with wheat seeds; we subsidize the purchase of seeds, and it is the farmer who decides where to obtain them. This was stated by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan during a government meeting on July 2, addressing the state support program aimed at promoting autumn wheat production in Armenia.

According to the program, if a farmer decides to buy quality wheat seeds, the government will subsidize 70 drams per kilogram of the purchase price.

“This program will not be permanent; it has a significant characteristic. Today, our farmers often sow wheat from the previous year’s harvest. This, in turn, leads to a decrease in yield. This is explained by the lack of sufficient funds to purchase quality seeds. Through this process, we want to show that with quality seeds, agriculture can be a profitable activity. Secondly, we want to bring agricultural enterprises into a financial cycle where they can calculate the acquisition of seeds for the next year from their additional income obtained each year. In other words, we will implement this program for possibly one year, or two years, so that farmers can create a budget that will be used for seed purchases. This program would be meaningless if it were to continue indefinitely,” the Prime Minister said.

He added that yields are often low also because the same crop has been sown in the same place for 10 years.