The Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, Otar Shamugia, together with the State Commissioner of Samtskhe-Javakheti Besik Amiranashvili, met with local beekeepers in the village Tskruti of Akhaltsikhe municipality and introduced the new state program.
Within the framework of the state program of beekeeping support, beekeepers will be financed 50% of the cost of the chairs for not more than 70 GEL, but by transferring not more than 5,000 GEL to one beneficiary.
“A new program supporting beekeepers allows our farmers to expand beekeeping and increase honey production.” They can upgrade their chairs and purchase new ones as part of the program. Notably, we have held several events supporting farmers in recent years, funding over 200 co-operatives to buy various equipment and upgrade chairs. We have strengthened laboratory capabilities that have enabled the export of honey to various regional countries and EU markets. We will continue to support this to harness our potential in this direction and help farmers produce more quality produce,” Otar Shamugia said.
According to Besik Amiranashvili, State Trustee of Samtskhe-Javakheti, beekeeping is a relatively developed field in the region. The state has supported bee farmers through various programs or projects for years. The new program is also essential for the local community.
Beekeepers are positively evaluating the new program. During their meeting with the minister, they stressed that the targeted program would greatly benefit them and that, in the future, they would be able to expand honey production even further.
It should be noted that to participate in the program, a potential beneficiary must have at least ten bee families (at least ten beehives), and the number of requested beehives must not exceed 150% of the number of bee families registered in beekeeping by the time of application.
The program’s prerequisite is that a potential beneficiary register as a business operator and a beekeeper register in the National System for Animal Identification and Research (NAITS).
It should be noted that the state supports the development of beekeeping through various programs or projects. These aim to promote the sustainability of quality honey production, access to field knowledge, and increase awareness of Georgian honey on the international market. This will make it possible for more quality Georgian products to be available in both local and export markets in the future.
