Otar Shamugia meets Michael Frankom

In a significant moment Otar Shamugia Georgia’s Minister for Environment and Agriculture met Michael Frankom. Michael Frankom is the regional head of the US Agriculture Department. They discussed a number of issues, including the trade of agriculture products, the cattle sector situation, and challenges being faced by the agriculture sector.

During his meeting, Otar Shamugia thanked the US Department of Agriculture for its support over the past several years.

Otar Shamugia further said ” Georgia has a productive cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture over the years; we are implementing in Georgia a number of programs jointly and producing significant results. However, in the agricultural sector, our priorities are to support the development of the livestock sector, promote modern technologies in agriculture and food safety standards in the agricultural sector, and promote agro-food production. At the same time, Supporting farmers and entrepreneurs through targeted programs will certainly continue in the future. We are actively working under the contract of associations to fulfil our obligations in both agriculture and environmental protection in our country. After receiving EU candidate status, the support of USDA and our other partners will be even more important”.

Minister further focused on the Kansas State University (USA) research report, namely “Assessment of Georgia’s wheat sector” which was supported by USDA. Otar Shamugia highlighted the results of the research and challenges in wheat production and the realisation of Georgia along with other issues.

As per the minister, the use of quality seed materials, the implementation of events on a calendar timeframe and the improvement of irrigation infrastructure are important to overcome challenges in the agriculture sector in Georgia as well as other parts of the world.

Minister Otar Shamugia also spoke about the number of steps taken by the Georgian to improve irrigation infrastructure in different parts of the country.

On the other hand, Michael Frankom, Regional Director of the Department of Agriculture of the United States, stated that obtaining the status of a candidate for membership in the European Union will be a significant step forward for Georgia. Michael Frankom also highlighted the importance of Georgia’s role in the “Transcaspian International Transport Corridor” and the country’s potential in this regard.

Many other dignitaries also attended the meeting which included Deputy Minister of Environment and Agriculture Tengiz Nasaridze, representatives of the relevant services of the Ministry of Environment and Agriculture and the US Department of Agriculture.