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Levan Davitashvili: “Approximately 700 tons of blueberries have been exported from Georgia this year"
The Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, Levan Davitashvili visited the newly planted blueberry garden in Senaki Municipality and met with the beneficiaries of the state program.
With the state financial support, ‘’Interagro’’ Ltd planted a blueberry garden on 10 hectares in the village Nosiri. Under the ‘’Plant the Future’’ program, the company received state funding of GEL 230,000 for planting a garden and arranging an irrigation system.
‘’Interagro’’ is also a beneficiary of the preferential agro-credit. Under the program, the company received an agro-credit of GEL 500,000 for planting the garden; 200,000 GEL is the investment of the beneficiary.
"At present, the blueberry garden is planted in more than 700 hectares of agricultural land areas in Georgia. This year, about 700 tons of blueberries have been exported from the country, valued at several million dollars.
The blueberry crop wasn’t exported from Georgia a few years ago. If farmers maintain their interest, we expect to export tens of millions of dollars worth of produce in the future. Our farmers are gaining experience in the production of blueberries. The state is also intensively engaged in this process.
The project "Plant the Future" provides significant grant assistance and co-financing, which is a motivation for investors. The favorable climatic conditions in Georgia allow us to export at a time when there is more demand and less competition in the market. Therefore, our country should use this competitive advantage. Blueberries will be one of the most important income-generating crops for Georgia, ”Levan Davitashvili said.
The state Representative of Samegrelo-Zemo-Svaneti Region, Alexander Motserelia and Director of the Agricultural and Rural Development Agency, Ilia Tamarashvili together with Levan Davitashvili visited Senaki Municipality.