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

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Representatives of the local authorities along with farmers get familiar with the state support program for hazelnut production.

The meetings are running in the regions to brief residents about the state support program for hazelnut production. The state support program for hazelnut production will subsidize the costs of goods for the maintenance and cultivation of hazelnuts. 

Mr. George Khanishvili, the First Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture holds meetings with the representatives of the local authorities and farmers in Western Georgia to discuss the details of the mentioned program. The Minister of Agriculture of Adjara Zaza Shavadze and Deputy State Envoy in the Guria region Mrs. Ketevan Moistrapishvili attended the meeting in the public center of Ureki. 

According to Mr. Khanishvili, the program aims to support the development of the hazelnut sector and increase its export potential. The owners of the hazelnut orchards will get points on their cards to purchase plant maintenance products - in the amount of 500 GEL per hectare.  As part of the program, a cadastre will be created to register hazelnut orchards, which will include a detailed description and inventory of data concerning hazelnut orchards.

 " During a certain period, the price of hazelnuts declined on the global market, due to which, to some extent, hazelnut producers lost the motivation to look after their hazelnut plantations. By state financing, a new program will provide an incentive for farmers to become more motivated and purchase maintenance items for their hazelnuts in authorized stores," said Mr. George Khanishvili.

According to Mr. Zurab Chekurashvili, the Head of the National Food Agency, the Agency controls the quality of pesticides and agrochemicals placed on the market to the greatest extent possible to protect farmers' interests.  This year, the Agency will continue taking measures against the Asian stink bug to protect the hazelnuts from pests.

Ms. Ketevan Moiapreshvili, Deputy State Invoy in the Guria region noted, that the hazelnut cadastre program is actively running in the Guria region, and data collection is already completed in most villages.
As of today, 37 thousand hectares of hazelnut orchards have been registered throughout the country within the scope of the program. The number of garden owners, including co-owners, exceeds 85 thousand.

The representatives of the Hazelnut Producers Association, the processing sector, exporters, and delivery points attended the meeting.