Tbilisi: At the conference organized by the Environment and Agriculture Ministry of Georgia and the Association of Nut Producers in Zugdidi, they summarized the results of the last year’s survey and discussed the importance of state programs in this direction. For the promotion of the survey sector, the state will implement targeted programs on a large scale this year.
The conference had in attendance the representatives of the Environment and Agriculture Ministry of Georgia , National Food Agency, Rural Development Agency, local government, international donor organizations, banking and insurance companies, and exporters. The conference was sponsored by the USAID.
It was noted that due to the state’s consistent plan, support of donor organizations and complex measures implemented, today’s farmers have more resources to produce quality crops and generate more income.
Attention was drawn, by the Prime Minister, to the “Program for Promotion and Subsidies of Nut Production” initiated by the Ministry of Environment and Agriculture, within the framework of which gardens are actively registered in the nut cadastre.
Up to 35,000 hectares of land has already been registered at this stage. The registration process continues until February 17 this year.
“In order to promote the field, the state will also be actively involved in the fight against Asian leprosy, and to fight other nut diseases and effective implementation of agro-processes, through the Association of Nut Producers, technical and advisory assistance to farmers will be continued,” said Zurab Chekurashvili, head of the National Food Agency.
It is noteworthy that the Association of Nut Producers of Georgia was established in 2013 and unites up to 30 000 members (2886 working groups). The association mainly aims to increase the knowledge about nut care in Georgia, to improve nut quality and to increase production.
Township: At the conference held in Zugdidi, Samegrelo-Upper Svaneti State Trustee, Giorgi Guguchia stressed the importance of the development of the scouting field for the region and noted that the current state programs significantly contribute to the growth of the quality of the crop.
“The U.S. government, through USAID, will continue to support the nut sector, which has great potential to increase exports and create high-paying jobs in the region,” said Annie Steed, Deputy Director of the USAID Economic Office.
