Armenian passion for Kazakh wheat

Hardly anyone is surprised that wheat that arrived in Armenia in transit through Azerbaijan has been subjected to critical analysis by the opposition and, of course, branded. In a country whose agriculture is on fire and in which, according to the Armenian economists themselves, wheat yields have not increased by a single gram over the past 50-60 years, grain imported from Kazakhstan has been examined under a magnifying glass.

Russia sent grain of the 3rd class to Armenia, Kazakhstan - the 4th. This did not escape the attention of the opposition. Artur Khachatryan, a deputy from the Kocharian Armenia bloc, spoke on this issue. Wheat of the 4th type was imported from Kazakhstan, which is used for the production of feed, he said on social networks. "So don't complain too much if tomorrow x

The lob won't taste as good. High-grade wheat is expensive, and if you add transportation costs, the price of bread will rise significantly," Khachatryan wrote.

Khachatryan, of course, Googled the question before making the statement. But I saw only what I wanted to see. In fact, wheat of the 4th class belongs to food grades, although it is, according to terminology, weak. It is used in baking bread with the addition of 20-25 percent strong flour, belonging to grades 1-3. At the same time, this class is, of course, cheaper and affordable for Armenia. For Khachatryan's information, grain of the 5th class is used exclusively for non-food purposes. But things in his country have not reached that point yet.

What is the revanchist unhappy about? Russian grain of the 4th class was purchased by European countries. Ukraine exports grain of this class to Europe. This wheat is the most popular, as it is more affordable. Besides, who better than a member of the "former" crowd wouldn't know that Armenia has almost never bought expensive grain, as it has never had the opportunity to do so. In previous years, the country tried to establish grain production at home, claiming that the cultivation of wheat has some deep historical roots among Armenians. However, the roots apparently turned out to be too deep and it was not possible to reach them. Or they bred wheat historically in some other geography. Anyway, practice has shown that it is cheaper to buy grain than to produce it yourself in a country with unsuitable terrain and other problems.

It should be noted that during the occupation of the Azerbaijani territories, Armenia actively used these lands for wheat. As you know, the soils and topography of the Fizuli, Jabrayil and other regions are favorable for growing this crop. Before the start of the Karabakh conflict, Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur provided a significant portion of the republic's total harvest. In an address to the people on the occasion of the liberation of Lachin on December 1, 2020, President Ilham Aliyev touched upon this issue and said that according to the information provided to him, wheat was sown on tens of thousands of hectares during the occupation by the Armenians, in particular, in Agdam, Fizuli, Jabrayil, and Zangilan districts. "As I was informed, Armenia harvested 90 thousand tons of wheat per year in the occupied lands. The total volume of wheat produced by Armenia, together with that grown in these occupied lands, amounted to 190 thousand tons. They harvested half of this crop on our lands," the head of state said.

Having lost the occupied territories, Armenia lost not only square kilometers, but also guarantees of its food security, which it provided through the illegal exploitation of foreign lands. The revanchist opposition, led by the clan responsible for these crimes, is not concerned in vain, but it cannot speak publicly about the reasons for its concern. All she can do is misinform the Armenian society and fuel its complexes. Khachatryan wants the Armenian society to believe that the government is treating the people like cattle by purchasing fodder grain for them. And the opposition also needs the successes achieved on a peaceful track not to look so successful in the eyes of Armenians. They say that the Turkic country, Kazakhstan, sent "bad" grain to the Armenians, probably by "colluding" with Baku, and the "traitor" Pashinyan allowed it. "Conspiracy," in a word. However, we can't keep up with the wild imagination of the Armenian revanchists.

The opposition, which really needs chaos in Armenia, should know that in the last record harvest in Kazakhstan, the share of wheat of the 4th class was 35 percent. "Agrarian" -Khachatryan believes that so much of the country's arable land is used for forage production?

Kazakhstan has already declared its readiness to establish stable monthly supplies of food grain to Armenia in the amount of 15-20 thousand tons. This was announced by the managing director of the national operator, JSC NC Food Corporation Tobylbek Omarov. According to him, negotiations are underway with new Armenian partners interested in stable supplies. According to the Kazakh media, in October the parties signed a long-term cooperation agreement.

Recently, a pilot shipment of 1,000 tons of grain arrived in Armenia in 15 wagons in transit through Russia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. This route may become permanent in the future.

According to the situation in 2023-2024, Armenia's annual wheat demand is about 500-510 thousand tons. Domestic production covers approximately 35-40 percent of total needs. The remaining part is imported. Until recently, almost all imports were provided by Russia. Currently, Kazakhstan intends to become the second major supplier to Armenia. This time, Grade 4 grain was delivered. In the future, at the request of the buyer, Kazakhstan can export grain of various classes, including durum wheat (durum) and high-protein wheat (hi-pro).

All these opportunities have opened up for Armenia with the provision of transit by Azerbaijan. One can try to interpret the situation in any way, claiming the main merits and leading role, but Baku is the main actor in the developing processes. It's not a trilateral commission to unblock communications, as Russia claims, or even Washington's peacekeeping efforts. The trains went to Armenia only and only thanks to the goodwill of Azerbaijan. We've already talked about this more than once, but it's not a sin to repeat it. Of course, goodwill did not come from scratch. Baku considered it possible to show it only after Armenia's consent to the construction of the Zangezur Corridor, the TRIPP project, was formalized in Washington. The lifting of the ban on the transit of goods for Yerevan is connected with this. Azerbaijan has not undertaken any unilateral commitments, it has simply taken the first step, as befits a strong side.

As for the Russian side's claims that the trilateral commission, which has been meeting for several years to persuade Baku to agree to unblock communications with Armenia without guarantees of restoring the road through Meghri, has no merit in opening transit. As there is no unblocking of communications yet. Azerbaijan's lifting of the ban on the transit of goods through its territory for Armenia does not mean the opening of communications between the two countries. Communications between Azerbaijan and Armenia remain closed. This is a matter for the future, and its success will depend on how conscientiously Yerevan treats the interests of the Azerbaijani side.

After the end of the conflict and Azerbaijan's restoration of its integrity and sovereignty in all territories, the issue of Armenia's isolation also dropped from the agenda. Baku has never set a goal to starve the population of the occupying country before. And now, when the issue of occupation has been lifted and when Yerevan has already signed up for the Zangezur Corridor (Trump's Route), we can begin to take steps towards it. 

By the way, today, on November 12, Donald Trump Jr. is expected to arrive in Armenia. As expected and as confirmed by the Armenian media, working negotiations on TRIPP are on the agenda of the visit. That's the good news. And when there are good results, even greater opportunities will open up for Armenia.

But that's another story.