News
Giorgi Khanishvili: "Georgian model to fight against the Asian Stink Bug is exemplary for other countries around the world"
The International conference "Asian Stink Bug – the Global Challenge" is held in Tbilisi, where issues related to Georgia's experience in combatting Asian Stink bug, as well as methods applied against the invasive pest are currently being discussed by participants.
The conference embraces world's leading entomologists, scientists from Georgia and other countries of the Black Sea region, farmers and representatives of the private sector.
The First Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, Giorgi Khanishvili made an opening speech at the event.
"We are proud to announce, that we have achieved success in the fight against the brown marmorated stink bug, furthermore, the model based on the American experience developed by Georgian side in the fight against the invasive pest has gained a worldwide recognition. Our farmers are aware of significant steps taken to reduce the number of pest, so that, the damage that pest could bring to hazelnut trees was significantly reduced. The scientists worldwide state, that Georgian practice is unique in its results. I would like to express my gratitude to all who were engaged in the fight against the invasive pest. Today, we are proud to admit, that Georgian government, Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture together with the population have been able to tackle the problem in a very short period of time, which has been a real nuisance for many developed countries for decades and have not achieved positive results yet ‘’ Giorgi Khanishvili said.
During the conference, the participants discuss the experiences of different countries in the fight against the brown marmorated stink bug. As the representatives of the scientific circles noted, Georgia has developed a unique, integrated system of fighting the pest based on the experience of other countries, and has achieved a tangible results in a very short period of time. Such successful experience and practice will be included in the history of entomology as a guide to the fight against the pest.
“Within the frame of the scientific mission, the worldwide known entomologists who work on the Stink Bug issue gathered in Georgia,” stated the Head of the Mission of Entomologists, Bil Lindgren. “We will create an information database which will give us the possibility to share this program, which was developed jointly by the United States Agency for International Development and the National Food Agency. Through the partnership and active collaboration of these organizations, significant results have been achieved in the fight against the Stink Bug. This program is amazing, one of the best, and it will enter the history of entomology as a guide to the fight against the pest. Thanks to this program, all sectors: state agencies, local authorities, farmers and beekeepers, are involved in fight against the brown marmorated stink bug. I saw the damage brought by the Stink Bug in 2017-2018, when hazelnut harvest was almost destroyed. I’m glad that this year, the quality of hazelnut has returned to its original level, the quantity of harvest has also increased and the price of hazelnut has risen to benefit the farmers and the country’s economy.”
As part of the conference, Georgian scientists will make reports on both biology of pests and methods of fighting.
On August 24-30, with the support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), world-famous scientists of three universities of the US and the Agricultural Research Service of the Department of Agriculture, Europe and Australia, are paying a special working visit to get acquainted with Georgia's experience and achievements in the fight against the Stink Bug and meet farmers.
In 2018, the cooperation between the United States and Georgia was started under the frame of the first mission visit of the American side to Georgia, which was organized by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), USAID/Georgia's Restoring Efficiency to Agriculture Production (REAP) Program, International Organization CNFA and a leading American producer of insect pheromone- and kairomone-based products Trécé Inc.