“This tree, the apricot, is real, right? You say there is no yield, but the tree is dropping fruit.” - Nikol Pashinyan

“You say there is no yield, we have come under the tree and the tree is dropping fruit: this is the story of the farmer and the fisherman; the fisherman always exaggerates,” stated Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan during his visit to the village of Verin Dvin in the Ararat region, where farmers expressed concerns about the lack of yield this year.

The Prime Minister stopped by an apricot tree, pointed out the bountiful fruits, and remarked, “This wasn’t staged for my visit, was it? This tree, the apricot, is real, right? Now explain to me, how is it possible that this tree has fruit while the four trees aside do not? The owner of this tree must have someone familiar in high places,” he said.

Pashinyan inquired about the objective factors that play a role in this disparity, asking why one tree located right next to another bears fruit while the other does not. He was informed that factors including soil quality, the age of the tree, and farming methods, among others, contribute to this difference.