Opposition lawmaker calls for establishing Ministry of Agriculture in Armenia

Narek Karapetyan, leader of the opposition Strong Armenia parliamentary faction, has called for consolidating the management of the agricultural sector under a single body and establishing a Ministry of Agriculture.

Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Arnak Avetisyan said the government had no such plans.

The issue was discussed during parliamentary deliberations on a legislative package proposing changes to the names and subordination of the State Property Management and Water committees.

Karapetyan noted that there are problems with irrigation systems serving agricultural land and asked whether broader consolidation of management functions in the sector was planned.

Avetisyan said the proposed changes would also contribute to agricultural land management, land consolidation and reforms in the sector. At the same time, he outlined the government’s approach of treating agriculture as an economic activity while taking into account its specific characteristics and needs.

“No changes are planned in this regard,” the deputy minister said.

In a follow-up comment, Karapetyan criticized this approach, arguing that a single coordinating body was needed to address the sector’s problems. He said that, amid declining farmers’ incomes, irrigation and agricultural procurement issues should be addressed together.

“Irrigation is one problem, procurement is a second problem, and there is no single body that can coordinate this,” the lawmaker said.

Responding, Avetisyan said procurement issues should be addressed within the framework of economic policy. He added that the proposed changes to bring land and water resources under joint management would, in turn, contribute to implementing agricultural policy.

The deputy minister emphasized that developing intensive and high-value agriculture is among the government’s priorities and that unified land and water management would make it possible to advance in that direction.