Armenia Molybdenum Output Up 17.9% in Eight Months

Armenia produced 11,701 tonnes of molybdenum concentrate in January to August 2026, up 17.9% on the same period of 2025, according to data from the national Statistical Committee reported by Shanghai Metals Market (SMM) on 13 October 2026. Ferromolybdenum, the processed alloy, went the other way: 1,078.3 tonnes, down 45.5%.

The split is worth watching: more concentrate is being produced, while less of it is being turned into ferromolybdenum inside Armenia. The sources give no reason for the gap, and CBJ has not been able to establish one.

The numbers, month by month

ARKA reported on 8 September 2026, citing the same committee, that January to July output was 10,403.5 tonnes of molybdenum concentrate (up 25.2%), 203,113.1 tonnes of copper concentrate (up 27.6%), 7,141 tonnes of zinc concentrate (up 7.1%) and 907.2 tonnes of ferromolybdenum (down 47.4%).

Subtracting the January to July figure from the eight-month total gives about 1,297.5 tonnes of molybdenum concentrate for August alone. SMM estimates that this is roughly 19.7% below August 2025, and about 171.1 tonnes of ferromolybdenum, roughly 32.6% lower. Those monthly rates are estimates derived from rounded cumulative growth figures, and SMM notes the volumes are product weight, not contained molybdenum.

The effect is a slowdown in the year-on-year gain: cumulative molybdenum concentrate growth was 25.2% after seven months and 17.9% after eight.

Context from 2025

A year earlier, ARKA reported on 7 October 2025 that January to August 2025 output was 9,927.4 tonnes of molybdenum concentrate (down 13%), 185,654.7 tonnes of copper concentrate (down 8.1%) and 1,977.6 tonnes of ferromolybdenum (down 32.6%). Against that base, 2026 is a recovery year for concentrates. Copper concentrate output through July 2026 already exceeds the whole eight-month 2025 total, by CBJ's comparison of the two ARKA reports, although CBJ has not found a published January to August 2026 copper figure.

The official data do not break output down by producer, so they do not show which mines drove the changes.

What to watch

• The January to August 2026 copper and zinc concentrate figures, which should confirm whether the copper gain held.
• Whether ferromolybdenum output recovers or the fall of more than 45% persists through the autumn.
• Molybdenum prices and export data, which would show how much of the volume gain reaches customers as revenue.

Sources: Shanghai Metals Market, 13 October 2026; ARKA, 8 September 2026; ARKA, 7 October 2025