Armenian farmers struggle to sell apricot harvest amid export slowdown

Armenian fruit growers say they are facing one of their toughest seasons in recent years, as poor weather, weak demand and export disruptions leave much of this year's harvest unsold.

Tigran Matevosyan, a farmer from the village of Armash, said he returned home with most of the apricots he had taken to Yerevan to sell.

"There are no exports. I took my apricots to Yerevan, but I brought back 80% of them because they didn't sell," Matevosyan told Panorama.am in an interview on Friday.

Matevosyan, who grows apricots, plums, mulberries, apples and grapes, said he planted his orchards after taking out a loan several years ago. This year, however, he says he is struggling to recover even his production costs.

"My income has been at least a hundred times lower than last year," he said. "If I can just cover the costs of irrigation and orchard maintenance, I'll consider myself fortunate. Making enough to support my family is simply out of the question."

He said demand was relatively strong before the apricots fully ripened, but sales slowed sharply once the harvest reached the market. According to Matevosyan, some growers sold the popular Shalakh variety for about 450 drams per kilogram, while he was forced to sell other varieties in Yerevan for just 300 drams per kilogram.

Matevosyan blamed the poor harvest primarily on unfavorable weather. Prolonged humidity during the flowering season prevented proper pollination because bees remained largely inactive, while hailstorms damaged orchards in some areas.

"The excessive moisture meant the trees weren't properly pollinated, so yields were very low," he said. "A few orchards produced good crops, but they were the exception."

He also said sluggish sales were linked to export difficulties.

"Everyone knows the real problem is the lack of export markets," he said. "They're trying to find alternative routes to Europe, but those markets should have been secured first. Russia responded in its own way, and now exporters are reluctant to take the risk."

Matevosyan said he is already worried about selling his upcoming black plum harvest, which he said has traditionally been difficult to market.

"Black plums are hard to sell and don't fetch good prices," he said. "Farmers face many challenges, but rising production costs remain the biggest burden."

He said he has seen little evidence of direct government support for growers.

"I haven't heard of any farmer receiving state assistance," he said. "Officials say support is being provided to exporters, but I haven't benefited from any government program."

Although the apricot harvest is ending, expenses continue throughout the year. Orchards still require irrigation, cultivation and regular care, he said.

"The work doesn't stop after the harvest," Matevosyan said. "The trees need care all year round, which entails more costs."

Adding to growers' challenges, Matevosyan said flocks of crows have been damaging fruit still hanging in orchards, compounding losses in an already difficult season.