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The European Union, Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia and FAO award agricultural grants worth GEL 2.2 million to 50 beneficiaries in Georgia
The European Union (EU), Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) provided GEL 2.2 million worth of agricultural grants to 50 beneficiaries to support food production and security in the country amid the Covid-19 crisis.
Grants are issued under the European Neighborhood Program for Rural and Agricultural Development (ENPARD III).
“Today, the whole world, and Georgia as well, is facing severe economic challenges caused by the spread of Covid-19. We are actively working to ensure that Georgia’s population does not have problems with food security. The Ministry, with the support of international partners and donor organizations has made the necessary changes to the program to help farmers implement projects that will allow them to conduct agricultural activities and increase primary production”, stated Levan Davitashvili, Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia.
According to the Minister, the Government of Georgia is working together with the European Union and partner organizations to promote agricultural and rural development in the country. These investments mainly focus on the value chains of vegetables, cereals, potatoes, beef and dairy, but there are investments also in other value chains such as honey or wine production. These grants will allow farmers, cooperatives and SMEs to invest in equipment and installations, such as tractors, harvesters or greenhouses, with a contribution from the EU’s ENPARD Programme that will cover from 40% to 60% of the costs of the investments. The total value of the investments approved exceed 5 million Georgian Gel.
“In these challenging times, the EU remains one of the most dedicated partners to Georgia. Together with FAO, we are actively working to help Georgian farmers and producers to develop their farming activities. This is a particularly important initiative in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic as the country needs to increase its food security and resilience capacities” said EU Ambassador to Georgia, Carl Hartzel.
According to the Minister, the Government of Georgia is working together with the European Union and partner organizations to promote agricultural and rural development in the country.
As a coordinator of FAO-EU projects, Javier Sanz Alvarez declared, that regardless of hard emergency times, FAO and EU will keep on supporting farmers, producers and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Georgia. “More than ever, we need to help our farmers, and now, spring time, is the critical period to get prepared, cultivate and together prevent any food shortage in the country. We don’t stop, we support you”, Sanz Alvarez said.
Within the frame of the program, information about competition dates, application submission, procedures, required documents and investments is available on the website: