Tbilisi: The Agriculture Ministry of Georgia held regional meetings for the introduction and promotion of the state program for nut production. The state program for promoting nut production provides subsidies for the cost of goods needed for nut care and production.
 To discuss the details of the program, First Deputy Minister of Environment and Agriculture Giorgi Khanishvili met with the representatives of local authorities and farmers in West Georgia. Minister of Agriculture of Adjara, Zaza Shavadze and Deputy State Trustee in Guria region Ketevan Moistrafeshvili also attended the meeting held at the Ureki Community Center.
 As Giorgi Khanishvili pointed out at the meeting, the goal of the program is to promote the development of the field and the growth of export potential. Owners of nut gardens will receive points on the card to buy plant care facilities – in the amount of 500 GEL per hectare. It is important that the program will create a special cadastre of nut gardens, which will fully describe and inventory the existing gardens.
“For a while, the price of nuts on the world market has decreased, which has led to some part of the motivation to maintain nut gardens. The new program of the Agriculture Ministry will provide incentives and help to grow farmers’ motivation. It will be possible to purchase nut care products, which are state-funded, in certified shops”, – said Giorgi Khanishvili.
 As the head of the National Food Agency, Zurab Chekurashvili, noted, in order to protect farmers’ interests, the agency controls the quality of pesticides and agrochemicals on the market. Meanwhile, in order to protect nuts from pests, measures to fight against Asian cockroaches will continue this year.
 According to Ketevan Moistrafeeshvili, Deputy State Trustee in the Guria region, the nut cadastre program is actively underway in Guria region; the summary of data in most villages has already been completed.
 It is noteworthy that, as of today, 37 thousand hectares of nut gardens have been registered under the program; the number of garden owners, including co-owners, is more than 85 thousand.Â
The meeting to introduce the state program for promoting nut production was attended by representatives of the Nut Producers Association, the processing sector, exporters and dropping points.
