Low Wholesale Prices Could Lead Armenia’s Potato Farmers to Bankruptcy, Opposition MP Says

Residents of the town of Vardenis in Armenia's Gegharkunik province and nearby villages blocked late last week the Vardenis-Karvachar segment of the Vardenis-Martakert highway to protest against the falling price of potatoes. According to the farmers, wholesale pricing of potatoes largely depends on the price agreement between the country's Ministry of Defense and its suppliers, and this year the price is unprecedentedly low at 35-40 drams. The Ministry, the protesters said, should ensure that its suppliers purchase potatoes for at least 55-60 drams per kilogram so that the market stabilizes and farmers are able to make minimal profit. 

Speaking from the floor of the National Assembly today, opposition Armenian National Congress faction member Nikol Pashinyan, who went to meet with the demonstrators on Friday, stated that Armenia's potato farmers have a high risk of going bankrupt if the Defense Ministry does not find a solution to the problem soon. The lawmaker added that he had phoned the Ministry earlier and found out that it purchased potatoes from its suppliers for 80-104 drams per kilogram, while the suppliers, for their part, bought it from farmers for as low as 40-45 drams.

“I think that this is a very serious problem that requires an intervention from the National Assembly's leadership and lawmakers. We should hold negotiations with the Defense Ministry because the villagers are once again on the verge of bankruptcy,” the oppositionist said.