Armenia bans tomato paste imports for six months
Armenia's government has banned tomato paste imports for six months from 3 August 2026 to protect domestic processors. The move follows curbs on tomato exports that cut greenhouse shipments to about 800 tonnes, from roughly 7,000 tonnes a year earlier, creating a domestic glut.
Armenia bans tomato paste imports for six months
The government of Armenia has introduced a ban on imports of tomato paste, according to svpressa.ru, citing an official government statement. The measure takes effect on 3 August 2026 and will remain in force for six months.
The authorities framed the decision as a way to guarantee equal competitive conditions for two groups of market participants: businesses that import tomato paste and domestic processors that produce it from local raw materials. With the ban in place, imported concentrate will be kept off the shelves through early 2027, leaving the domestic market to Armenian-made paste.
Export curbs created a domestic glut
The paste ban follows an earlier restriction on tomato exports that reshaped the domestic supply balance. According to the government statement quoted by svpressa.ru, curbs on tomato exports sharply cut shipments of Armenian fruit and vegetables abroad, greenhouse tomatoes among them. A large share of the crop originally destined for export is now being sold at home, which has depressed demand for open-field tomatoes.
The figures show how steep the drop was:
- Between 22 May and 22 July 2026, greenhouse tomato exports came to roughly 800 tonnes.
- In the same period a year earlier, about 7,000 tonnes were exported — all of it to member states of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).
The collapse from about 7,000 tonnes to some 800 tonnes meant that produce previously absorbed by EAEU buyers stayed inside Armenia, adding to local supply just as the summer harvest came in. That surplus is the backdrop against which the paste ban was set: with fresh tomatoes abundant and cheap, the government moved to ensure that domestically processed paste is not undercut by cheaper imported concentrate.
A layered protectionist response
Taken together, the two measures amount to a layered defence of domestic prices. The export restriction, in force since 22 May, kept fresh tomatoes inside the country; the import ban on paste now shields processors from cheaper foreign concentrate. Both are aimed at supporting Armenian growers and producers as surplus fresh tomatoes weigh on the internal market.
The trade context centres on the EAEU, the destination for the greenhouse tomatoes Armenia had been shipping before the export curbs. The government statement did not detail the price levels involved or name specific importing companies, and svpressa.ru did not report a projected volume of paste imports affected by the six-month ban.
