“The budget has allocated 100 million GEL, which is a tremendous amount, however, we shall strive toward ensuring stability of Georgian wine industry” – Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia stated.“We await a very high quality of harvest, which will result into an increased quantity. Mr Prime Minister, you have mentioned an increasing number of vineyards and we shall embrace a growing trend in this regard. During an incumbent year and due to the pandemic, there is a certain disbalance between materials and demand of private companies; the latter case if not relevant only for Georgia. I would like to reiterate how difficult circumstances there have been for almost every country. Despite of this, we have an increase in export and we project improvements in data, however, it is not enough as we had aimed higher. We had planned 15 – 20%, while an actual increase has amounted to 7 – 8 %, which has not been sufficient. Therefore, the State shall initiate an intervention to balance the prices and ensure that payments to the farmers are adequate and their enthusiasm is solid to keep them dedicated to their activities throughout upcoming years. This year, around 300, 000 tonnes of grapes have been processes industrially. This will be yet another milestone during Georgia’s Independence, however, we are striving toward increasing export and triple it; we have featured the respective aspirations within our 10-year plan. We need to increase materials base and maintain a trend of cultivating vineyards in Georgia and establishing new enterprises. Therefore, it was a highly responsible decision of ours to make an intervention during an incumbent year to balance and mediate harm caused by the Covid. We are channelling our actions toward ensuring stable development of the industry during upcoming years” – Minister Davitashvili stated. Minister also reiterated that the Ministry has a full readiness to conduct the vintage in an organized manner. “We have had communication with almost every farmer. Since 2014, we have been carrying out electronic pasportization efforts of vineyards. This is a crucial element for quality oversight for a Georgian wine. During an incumbent year, Kakheti and Racha-Lechkhumi region will be fully ensured with electronic passports, which enable us to hold an accurate information about each and every vineyard, which opens up access to making projections on harvest. The latter actions determine trust toward Georgian wine, which shall be ensured at the highest possible level. I am confident that an incumbent vintage will be organized at an outstanding level. I would like to thank my staff for ensuring an undisputed working process amidst the pandemic. Our actions shall span across each and every vineyard, however, we have opened possibilities for farmers, who will be unable to register on time, they will have a possibility to complete it during the vintage itself. I would like to call on farmers to simplify the process for making it easier to accommodate their harvest and decrease queues and ensure pre-registration of vineyards, which has been a possibility at the Racha-Lechkhumi and Kakheti regions. Mr Prime Minister, I am firm that your assistance has ensured a maximal assistance for our Ministry to overcome the challenges” – Minister Davitashvili stated. 

Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia, Mr Levan Davitashvili met with Minister of Economy of the Republic of Armenia, Vahan Kerobyan to scrutinize trade-economic relations between the two countries and embrace prospects for developing these.  “Our countries have a record of successful partnership spanning across many years. We had an interesting meeting with the Minister of Economy of the Republic of Armenia, Vahan Kerobyan, who represents the Ministry, which ensures oversight of agricultural matters. We spoke about the Armenian and Georgian interlocutors uniting their forces to utilize free trade agreements for ensuring access of Georgian and Armenian companies to the market” – Minister Davitashvili stated.  The meeting was also attended by Mr Levan Mekhuzla, chairperson of the National Wine Agency and Deputy Minister of Economy of the Republic of Armenia and Director of the Wine-Making Fund. 

“Moreover, the Prime Minister has accurately stressed out that Georgia’s unique wildlife has been enlisted under the USESCO’s World Heritage list; the respective development is not a victory only for Georgia but for the whole region and the Black Sea area. This is an international recognition, which will ensure that Georgia appears on the global map as a country with an outstanding biodiversity and that is a pride for the world and not only Georgia. We are thrilled to have Georgia being recognized by the UNESCO yet again. We have launched working on the nomination in 2019 and I shall stress out contributions from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, apart from our Ministry, which resulted into today’s decision” – Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia, Mr Levan Davitashvili stated. 

“Upon an initiative of the Prime Minister of Georgia, we have promised our population to ensure co-funding of the mechanization, which is set forth in the 10-year plan for agricultural development. The respective programming is of utmost importance for the population, who reside at villages and are engaged into farming. This is a core request and demand from our citizens, which we have numerously recorded during our visits. Therefore, we have decided to significantly increase funding to the project, which we had been also operating throughout the previous years. Starting from September, we will accept applications from applicants willing to be part of the program. We will deploy grant co-funding, thus, making it possible to issue a part of equipment’s costs as a grant; as for the remaining amount – we will fund the latter through preferential, credit or lease resources. We will empower our population with significant resources to purchase agricultural-farming mechanization, that had been a challenge for them. We will enable funding for small mechanization – up to 20, 000 GEL for equipment; as for medium mechanization – we will enable funding between 20, 000 to 100, 000 GEL for purchasing equipment; a large mechanization will enjoy funding for equipment exceeding 100, 000 GEL. The latter entails major equipment, as well as all the amenities,  required by our citizens for agricultural-farming activities” – Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia, Mr Levan Davitashvili stated at the session of the Government. Worth of the agricultural-farming mechanization program is 50 million GEL. The program is implemented by the Agricultural and Rural Development Agency and entails procurement of an equipment that shall be new. Within the co-funding, a total amount per beneficiary shall be determined in a following manner: in case an equipment to be procured is up to 20, 000 GEL, then, the co-funding of the latter equipment shall be 35 % of the total cost; co-finding of an equipment worth of 20, 000 – 100, 000 GEL is 35 %; in case, co-funding of equipment is not less than 100, 000 GEL, then, co-funding shall be 30 % of the total cost. The same terms will be applied to the LTD “Agricultural Logistics and Services Company” upon funding agricultural-farming equipment, including purchase of harvesters. Applications to the program will be accepted in an electronic format; potential entries will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis.