Armenia plans subsidies to boost exports to EU

Armenia has proposed a government-backed program to support exports to the European Union, as it seeks to expand market access for domestic producers amid trade restrictions from Russia.

Economy Minister Gevorg Papoyan said the initiative, submitted for government consideration, is designed to help Armenian businesses enter the EU market, Caliber.Az reports via Armenian media.

The move comes after Moscow imposed limits on imports of certain Armenian goods, prompting Yerevan to diversify export destinations.

Papoyan said Armenian agricultural products already meet high international standards, pointing to certification credentials.

“Very realistic, because our exported fruits and vegetables have the Global Gap certificate, which is one of the highest-level certificates. That is, this is exactly the kind of product that is sold in European supermarkets. But there are other costs here, for example, transportation. (...) At one time, it was said that we were joining the EAEU because our fruits and vegetables could only be supplied to Russia. Now this is no longer the case. These standards are the highest both in the EAEU and in the EU, and our products meet these highest standards. Now the remaining issues are logistics. In this regard, today we presented a compensation program to the government. We will subsidise exporters of agricultural products so that they can offer competitive prices to the European market,” he said.

The minister added that the government plans to allocate substantial funding to the program to ensure businesses do not incur losses.

He also said Armenian products could be exported across the EU, “from Greece to Germany.”

By Tamilla Hasanova