Otar Shamugia the minister of environment and agriculture of Georgia attended the agriculture event of US agency USAID. The meeting discussed the results of various projects and their achievements under the USAID initiative in Georgia.
The Summary event of USAID’s agriculture program was also attended by Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Levan Davitashvili, Ambassador of Emergency and Plenipotentiary of the United States to Georgia Robin L. Danigan and international organization “Cultivating new frontiers in agriculture” (CNFA) President Silvan Roy .
On this occasion the results achieved within the program were discussed and beneficiaries of the program as well as the representatives of successful agribusinesses were awarded.
The Georgian minister Otar Shamugia thanked the US government and USAID for their support and noted that the US is a strong supporter of Georgia both politically and economically.
Otar Shamugia speaking specifically stated that “We are actively cooperating with the United States on both environmental protection and agriculture fronts .” Under this more than 1000 enterprises received various types of support. Many food safety standards are implemented internationally. Similarly the enterprises significantly increased production and sales both in domestic and export markets”.
“One of the priorities of the Georgian government is the development of agriculture. This year in support of our farmers and entrepreneurs we are implementing 15 projects that cover the entire spectrum of the value chain. Ultimately our goal is to support farmers to produce quality Georgian products and to be more competitive on the world market” the minister added.
US Emergency and Plenipotentiary Ambassador to Georgia Robin L. Danigan has focused on the results achieved under the program.
The Ambassador stated that “USA and Georgia have been partnering for 32 years and during this period USA-Georgia invested about 6 billion dollars. USAID’s rural development program has played an important role in agricultural development. Six thousand new jobs have been created under the program and the program has impacted to improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of people and at the same time develop the agricultural sector”.
It is noteworthy that the USAID’s agriculture program whose budget was $ 26.88 million was implemented by CNFA for five and a half years. The countrywide program has helped to develop agriculture, strengthen economic and social opportunities for rural communities adopt new markets, and boost exports.
The partners of the program were the Ministry of Environment Protection and Agriculture, Rural Development Agency, National Food Agency, National Wine Agency, “Produce in Georgia”, international donor organizations, financial institutions, and media outlets.
