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Otar Shamugia meets local farmers in Gori Municipality.
The Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, Mr Otar Shamugia, together with the Deputy State Representative of Shida Kartli region, Mr Simon Guledani, visited the apple orchard planted under the state program "Plant the Future" in the village of Mejvriskhevi, Gori Municipality, where the state officials held a meeting with local farmers and got detailed information about harvesting, handling and storing of crops.Â
"On the one hand, we assist farmers in setting up intensive gardens, and in recent years, within the "Plant the Future" program, more than 2,000 ha of intensive and super-intensive gardens have been planted, from which we expect high quantity and quality crops.
Furthermore, we assisted farmers in establishing cold storage facilities; there are dozens of cold storage facilities only in the Shida Kartli region. Farmers must have the proper conditions for handling/storing their crops in line with market demands and standards and then gradually selling them." said Mr Otar Shamugia.
The Minister also inspected modern apple harvesting equipment, which the farmer purchased with state co-financing. "Iberia Group" LLC owns an apple orchard on 10 ha in the Mejvriskhevi village, Gori municipality. Within the "Plant the Future" program, in 2021, the farmer planted apples on 5 ha and arranged a well, for which it received co-financing of GEL 50,000 from the Rural Development Agency.
In 2023, the company benefited from preferential agro credit and the program "Plant the Future", co-financing GEL 64,000 for installing anti-hail systems in the apple orchard on 10 hectares. The company sells the harvested crop in the local market.
Farmer Irakli Edilashvili noted that garden insurance is essential for all farmers since the process is much more accessible financially, and the state pays for around 70% of the insurance.Â
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