YEREVAN /ARKA/. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced a decline in agriculture this year and out- lined its future development plans. “Judging by statistics, if I’m not mistaken, we haven’t seen any growth in agriculture this year. On the con- trary, we’re seeing a decline, and I can say that this isn’t surprising for a num- ber of reasons,” Pashinyan noted dur- ing government hour in parliament on Wednesday. According to him, the govern- ment program clearly states that when speaking about agriculture, one should understand it as “intensive agricul- ture.” “The agricultural practices that are widely used today are no longer agriculture in the sense that we need to develop it. And they will never grow. On the contrary, focusing on this means trying to develop along a path that is not developing,” he said. According to him, intensive ag- riculture should be developed while simultaneously di- versifying this sector, including in terms of export markets. “And in any sector of the economy, if depen- dence on one point is disproportionate, it means we lack the management necessary to ensure and organize development,” Pashin- yan noted. The prime minister stated that sta- tistics have their own methodology, and the current year is not over yet. “We are implementing numerous pro- grams in agriculture. And overall, if you’re interested, I can say that since 2018, we have provided hundreds of millions of dollars in assistance to our farmers and continue to do so,” Pash- inyan said. According to the Statistical Com- mittee of Armenia, agricultural produc- tion in January-June 2026 decreased by 11.9% compared to the same period in 2025, amounting to approximately 310 billion drams. In particular, livestock produc- tion decreased by 2.5% to 185.3 bil- lion drams, while crop production decreased by 23.4% to 124.7 billion drams. Meanwhile, the combined output of agriculture, forestry, and fisheries during the reporting period decreased by 10.2% to 345.1 billion drams. ($1 = 363.41 drams).