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

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Otar Shamugia: " GEL 243 million is allocated from the 2024 state budget to support three significant state programs".

At the joint session of the Agrarian Issues, Environmental Protection and Natural Resources, Sectoral Economy and Economic Policy, Regional Policy and Self-Government and Finance-Budget Committees, the candidate for the Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, Mr. Otar Shamugia, focused on the results of the ongoing state projects aimed at promoting the agricultural sector. 

 "One of the successful state programs is "Plant the Future", which supported planting up to 22 thousand hectares of modern gardens. According to our projections, once the cultivated gardens start bearing fruits, the total volume of harvested crops will reach 200 thousand tonnes, with an estimated value of over GEL 500 million. The results of the program will be reflected in the export figures. For instance, the export profits of blueberries cultivated under the same program in recent years exceeded USD 21 million last year, almost three times more than in 2022.  We expect these indicators to increase even more this year and, in the future," said Mr. Otar Shamugia.

According to Mr. Shamugia, since 2013, up to 46,000 beneficiaries have benefited from the subsidized agro credit project, through which farmers and entrepreneurs were allowed to access cheap funds. The interest rate from the state is within 11 percent per year.  Moreover, the financial organizations issued over GEL 6 billion in loans during this period, while the state co-financing exceeded GEL 900 million.

"So far, 257 companies have been financed under the Co-financing of Processing and Storage Enterprises program, with 176 companies being operational and production worth up to GEL 250 million. The storage infrastructure ensures the storage of up to 100 thousand tonnes of products following modern standards.
 All three of the mentioned programs are underway, and GEL 243 million is allocated to finance them in the 2024 budget," said Mr. Otar Shamugia.