David Songulashvili Visits State-Funded Cold Storage Facility in the village of Kvarkhiti and Meets with Farmers.

 Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, Mr. David Songulashvili, visited the “Tiriponi Fruits” cold storage facility in the village of Kvarkhiti, Gori Municipality.

 During the visit, the parties discussed key challenges facing the Shida Kartli region, including the need for modifications in certain co-financing programs implemented by the Rural Development Agency. According to the Minister, the Ministry is working on adjustments to various support projects and programs, including initiatives aimed at improving access to knowledge — specifically through the co-financing of services provided by international agri-consultants.

 

The “Tiriponi Fruits” cold storage facility was established with the support of the Rural Development Agency's Program ''Co-Financing of Processing and Storage Enterprises'' and the ''Preferential Agro-Credit Project''.

 

The facility is equipped with state-of-the-art Italian and German refrigeration systems, capable of storing up to 1,000 tonnes of fruit. Additionally, it features a grading line with a capacity of up to 5 tonnes per hour, sorting apples by weight, size, and percentage of colored surface, following modern quality standards. 

 

Through the Co-Financing Program for Processing and Storage Enterprises, the Rural Development Agency has supported the establishment of 285 enterprises with a total investment of GEL 131.7 million. Of these, 121 enterprises in the Shida Kartli region received over GEL 54.8 million in co-financing.

 

Minister Songulashvili was accompanied by Deputy Minister, Mr. Lasha Dolidze, State Representative in the Shida Kartli region, Mr. Simon Gulgeldani, and Acting Director of the Rural Development Agency, Mr. Giorgi Avaliani.