Armenia will begin exporting up to 40 tons of fresh fruit and vegetables a week to the United Arab Emirates starting in September, under a memorandum of understanding signed on August 27, reports Armenia’s Economy Ministry.
Economy Minister Gevorg Papoyan signed the memorandum after meeting Omar AlShamsi, founder and CEO of Watermelon Ecosystem, the Dubai platform selected in March 2023 as the electronic purchasing channel for UAE government agencies buying from national farms. Deputy Minister Arman Khojoyan also attended.
That role runs under a 5-year agreement with the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, tied to the country’s National Farms Sustainability Initiative.
The memorandum creates the basis for organizing long-term and sustained export of Armenian fresh produce, with the 40 tons a week figure describing the initial phase. At that rate the arrangement would move roughly 2,000 tons a year.
The memorandum opens a new outlet for a category Russia has restricted since May 30, when Rosselkhoznadzor barred fresh Armenian tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, green vegetables and strawberries, later adding grapes and stone fruit. The agency cited what it called increasing violations, including quarantine pests found in greenhouse complexes, 181 detections during 2026, and Armenian exporters with unclear ownership evading phytosanitary control, and said on August 19 that it is waiting on Armenia’s investigation and action plan before easing anything. The restrictions sit inside a wider set of Russian measures that began this spring, reaching mineral water, alcohol, dried fruits, fish and dairy, along with a ban on transit of Armenian goods through Russia to other EAEU countries, which goes well beyond plant health.
Watermelon Ecosystem connects restaurants, food suppliers, producers and farmers through digital procurement and supply chain management tools. AlShamsi founded it in Dubai in 2020, and it raised a $4 million Series A in July 2024 at a $29 million valuation.
The two sides discussed cooperation and investment programs, widening export opportunities for Armenian products, and connecting Armenian producers with buyers and distributors in the UAE and other international markets.
Papoyan presented investment made in Armenian agriculture in recent years and production capacity meeting international standards, and pointed to expanding access to international markets for small and medium producers.
