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

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Tengiz Nasaridze: "2023 was an exceptional year regarding blueberry yield.

The Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, Mr. Tengiz Nasaridze, along with the Director of the Rural Development Agency, Mr. Davit Tsitlidze, and Mr. Giorgi Guguchia, the state representative of Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti region, met with blueberry-producing farmers.

During the meeting, the parties discussed the needs and challenges of the blueberry farmers from the Guria, Samegrelo, and Imereti regions.
According to the Deputy Minister, 2023 was an outstanding year in terms of blueberry yield.

"The state supports farmers in planting blueberry orchards within the frames of several programs, especially the" Plant the Future" program. According to preliminary projections, the blueberry yield will increase even more in the coming years, which will expand economic activity on the one hand, and on the other hand, it obliges to support the creation of the necessary infrastructure for storing and selling an extensive quantity of crops. We heard about several interesting initiatives during the meeting with blueberry growers, and we believe that the state will take crucial measures through its programs in the coming years to boost blueberry crop culture's share of economic benefits even more", said Mr. Tengiz Nasaridze.

According to Mr. Giorgi Guguchia, it is essential to mention that the Deputy Minister and representatives of relevant structures answered all questions posed by the members of the blueberry association.

"Various markets are being explored to increase the blueberry export from our country. As a result, increased exports will bring additional income to blueberry farmers and the country," said Mr. Giorgi Guguchia.
According to farmer Giorgi Kvataia, the meeting clearly showed that significant support from the state will continue in the future.

"We want to form cooperatives and, through them, get more support from the state in the form of co-financing," said Giorgi Kvataia.

Mr. Tengiz Nasaridze also visited Zeda Etseri village, where he inspected a modern blueberry garden. In 2022, with state funding, within the "Plant the Future" program of the Rural Development Agency of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, the "Keystone" LLC planted a blueberry orchard.
The Deputy Minister got acquainted with the cold storage capabilities of "Hazelnuts and Agriculture Company" LLC in Zugdidi Municipality. The company organized a cold storage facility within the framework of preferential agricultural credit.