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

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Otar Shamugia inspected the first olive tree nursery in the Sighnaghi municipality.

With the financial support of the Rural Development Agency, the first olive tree nursery was organized in Sakobo village, Sighnaghi municipality. "Geolive" LLC has invested more than GEL 3 million for setting up an olive nursery, including state co-financing amounting to GEL 250,000, and more than GEL 650,000 in preferential agro-credit within the framework of the co-financing component of the "Plant the Future" program for nurseries.

The Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, Mr. Otar Shamugia visited the nursery and got acquainted with the working process and future plans.
"Within the framework of the "Plant the Future" program, we have already financed up to 16 nurseries, including the mentioned nursery, which is the first olive nursery and plans to grow approximately 500,000 thousand seedlings this year; In the coming years, the scale will increase up to 1 million seedlings. Replacing imports, as well as ensuring farmers with locally produced seedlings are crucial for our farmers, especially if later these seedlings give us the production of high-yielding crops. I believe that olive production has potential in Georgia and the arrangement of the nursery will support this process", said Mr. Otar Shamugia.

According to businessman, Giorgi Svanidze, one of the founders of ‘’Geolive’’ LLC, 100% of olive seedlings were imported into Georgia, and the new nursery will replace imports with local products.

"There are nine different varieties of olive seedlings in the nursery, and we are actively working on breeding the Georgian olive variety, which will be adapted to the country's climate as much as possible. The Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture played a big role in the opening of this nursery. if not for state programs and also the cooperation with Turkish partners in planting nurseries, otherwise this wonderful garden would not exist in Georgia today," said Giorgi Svanidze.

14 beneficiaries have been co-financed from 2015 to May 31, 2023, within the state program "Plant the Future" Co-financing component of the nursery gardens, the investment exceeds GEL 6 million, out of which the co-financing of the Rural Development Agency amounted to more than GEL 3.6 million.
Turkish Ambassador to Georgia Mr. Ali Kaan Orbai and the Head of the Rural Development Agency, Mr.  Davit Tsitlidze accompanied the Minister at the new olive nursery in Sighnaghi Municipality.