Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia

The benefits of cooperation and opportunities for small and medium-sized dairy enterprises topped the agenda of the Second Caucasus Dairy Congress held in the Radisson Blu Iveria Hotel. The congress was opened by the Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, Levan Davitashvili. As the Minister noted, the development of the dairy industry is one of the top priorities of the Ministry of Environment Protection and Agriculture.
Levan Davitashvili spoke about the development of cooperative farms, technical regulations of dairy sector developed by the Ministry and its efficiency, as well as the need to attract investments in the sector, provide food safety and introduce new technologies. The minister thanked the organizers of the congress and noted, that such measures greatly contribute to the development of the sector.
"I would like to thank donor organizations and the EU for their financial contribution and modernization of our most important sector. We do not have a good condition in the dairy sector, but I think, that dairy sector will be significantly improved by coordinated work of the state and donor organizations. We are ready to encourage the sector with proper regulations "said Levan Davitashvili.
The Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture stressed the importance of improvement of quality and safety of dairy products as a key factor in increasing efficiency and competitiveness of the sector
"After signing the Association Agreement, Georgian farmers can export their products to the EU market. In Georgia, citizens can buy better quality milk products. To this end, milk producers should meet EU standards, and we help them through several projects "said Janos Herman, EU Ambassador to Georgia.
According to the EBRD Director for Caucasus, Moldova, Bruno Balvanera EBRD supports the development of the dairy sector in Georgia.
"Today is a very important event. As you know, the development of a diary sector is an important direction for the EBRD in Georgia. Our main goal is to invest and share knowledge to increase productivity in the diary sector " - said Bruno Balvanera.
At the congress, the Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, Levan Davitashvili awarded a group of authors of the book "Modern Technologies of Milk Industry Production and Effective Management of Diary Farm in Georgia".
The event was organized by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).
Over 200 participants from the Caucasus and Eastern Europe attended the Congress, including commercial dairy farmers, processors, equipment suppliers, industry experts and representatives from the Georgian government.