“On August 26, a natural disaster hit the Kakheti region, which caused an immense damage to agricultural-rural seedlings; however, the State ensured an immediate intervention. From the first day, the coordination unit did join forces with the local government authority and launched efforts to calculate the damage. At this stage, around 5000 hectares has been damaged in an entire Kakheti region, which mostly spans across Telavi, Gurjaani and Kvareli municipalities; while the latter three municipalities have witnessed 100 % of the damage, there are areas with 30-50 % of damage. We have ensured a detailed calculation of the 5000 hectares of damage, which mostly covers Saperavi and Rkatsiteli vineyards and has affected viticulture farmers. We have made an instant decision to ensure immediate communication with the farmers and guarantee that their harvest is accommodated at several factories contracted by the State and despite of any damage of these grapes. Throughout the vintage, the State enterprise LTD “Crop Management Company” has been represented at every municipality of Kakheti, which has contracted various wine companies, who will ensure an undisrupted accommodation of our farmers’ harvest. Amidst the disaster, our coordination unit and each and every staff member and municipality have ensured an undisrupted process. Nevertheless, some of the media outlets have spread false information that the accommodation process has been a challenging one; meanwhile, we are not surprised with the latter speculation, despite of the fact that since 2012 each kilogram of grapes has been accepted and accommodated without any problem. There has not been any vintage without disseminating false information and without political speculations. Some of the political powers target harvest of a one-year process as their political aspirations and abuse it for their agenda.  Nevertheless, we are deploying tireless efforts to stand aside our farmers and vine-farmers. Upon an initiative of the Prime Minister of Georgia, I have personally visited the region and the respective farmers along with the leadership of Kakheti. We have discussed on what could be undertaken for a greater assistance and we are firm that the farmers’ expectations have been fully satisfied. Damaged grapes of Rkatsiteli will be accepted for 0,8 GEL, while damaged grapes of Saperavi will be accepted for 1 GEL; the latter will be accepted at each and every location, which is available at an area of disaster. Our efforts will safeguard farmers from traveling at a long distance in order to accommodate their harvest; the process is smooth. We are fully aware that some of the goods can be disposed soon and shall be accommodates as soon as possible. The State has undertaken every effort for an organized accommodation. The farmers, whose harvest has been completely damaged, the State will provide them with 3000 GEL of compensation. In fact, it is an amount which they require to get a harvest. Unfortunately, the disaster has caught us in the process of the vintage, thus we will ensure full compensation to empower farmers to proceed with production, keeping vineyard and their future activities. Meanwhile, we have agreed to fully or partially replace perennial crops with a significant damage; we would rely the latter decision to the farmers themselves. Our component “Plant the Future” had been temporarily enacted two years ago. We will re-launch the latter this year to ensure a full compensation of the seedlings’ worth and also for arranging a plantation; in case of applying drop-system, then, the co-funding will enable gardeners and vine-farmers to restore their plantations. We shall embrace that the insurance companies have been effectively operating in the region and the State ensures a constant liaison with those insurance companies, who had insured farmers in Kakheti. I would like to once again utilize an opportunity and address our farmers to use insurance packages, which are offered by the State. In frames of the agro-insurance, half of an insurance payment will be made by the State, while dealing with vineyards, thus making the process greatly affordable. We have had meetings with the farmers and each one of them acknowledge failure to utilize insurance in an incumbent year. Despite of an increasing rate of insurance, we can assert that from damaged spaces up to 1200 hectares of territories has been insured. Those insured will be eligible to a complete compensation and are in an advantaged situation. It is a clear demonstration that insurance is crucial for agricultural-rural activities to safeguard future from the an ongoing obstacles” – The Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia, Mr Levan Davitashvili stated today, after commencing of the Government’s session. 

The Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia, Mr Levan Davitashvili, Mr Leri Barnabishvili, head of the Regional Liaison Department along with Mr Irakli Shioshvili, State Trustee of the Kakheti region met with the farmers, who have suffered from the natural disaster and briefed them on the assistance programs to be deployed by the State. “I would like stress out that each and every year, the State is standing by the people and we are undertaking every possible effort to safeguard them from the damage, which is an aftermath of the disaster. Some of the political powers do try to speculate with these developments and manipulate on the people’s feelings. They have stated that the citizens have been abandoned and there is an absence of the State assistance. Their claims are false due to the fact that our coordination unit’s staff have been actively engaging with the farmers to accommodate the damaged grapes in an organized manner. We shall embrace how unprecedented the support to the viticulture by our Government has been, which translates from consistent policy and deploying various actions, such as developing the industry as well as offering compensations, when required. We can recall unprecedented compensations of 2012 offered by Mr Bidzina Ivanishvili and “Cartu” Foundation, which assisted farmers in hardships. This year, the Government has decided to issue a one-time compensation of 3000 GEL to the farmers, whose harvest has been completely destroyed. Also, damaged grapes of Rkatsiteli will be accepted for 0,8 GEL, while damaged grapes of Saperavi will be accepted for 1 GEL” – Mr Davitashvili stated. On August 26, strong wind and hail has damaged 4600 hectares of grapes in the Telavi and Gurjaani municipalities of the Kakheti region. 

The Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia, Mr Levan Davitashvili, Mr Leri Barnabishvili, head of the Regional Liaison Department along with Mr Irakli Shioshvili, State Trustee of the Kakheti region has personally observed acceptance process of the damaged grapes by the State enterprise LTD “Crop Management Company”. “All the resources have been mobilized to empower farmers to allocate hail-damaged grapes by September 3 and without disruptions. Damaged grapes will be accepted at various locations of the Telavi, Gurjaani and Kvareli municipalities. Also, damaged grapes of Rkatsiteli will be accepted for 0,8 GEL, while damaged grapes of Saperavi will be accepted for 1 GEL” – Mr Davitashvili stated. On August 26, strong wind and hail has damaged 4600 hectares of grapes in the Telavi and Gurjaani municipalities of the Kakheti region. The State enterprise LTD “Crop Management Company” has launched acceptance efforts on August 27 and will proceed by September 3. 

The Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia, Mr Levan Davitashvili, Mr Leri Barnabishvili, head of the Regional Liaison Department along with Mr Irakli Shioshvili, State Trustee of the Kakheti region hosted a working meeting on accepting-processing hail-damaged grapes at the coordination unit. “5 municipalities of the Kakheti region have been affected by unprecedented disaster, which has damaged rural-agricultural seedlings. We have deployed an instant assistance and the coordination unit has ruled out instant decision. Every kilogram of grapes will be accepted and various acceptance locations have been established to enable farmers to have their grapes accepted - damaged grapes of Rkatsiteli will be accepted for 0,8 GEL, while damaged grapes of Saperavi will be accepted for 1 GEL, while there will be a one-time compensation of 3000 GEL to the farmers, whose harvest has been completely destroyed, enabling farmers to recover vineyards and produce grapes. It is of utmost importance for us to restore damaged plantations, which will be unable to have harvest next year. Therefore, we have enacted the component within the “Plant the Future” program, which will restore plantations and co-funding of amelioration systems. These actions will be an adequate response to the farmers’ needs” – Minister Davitashvili stated.  On August 26, strong wind and hail has damaged 4600 hectares of grapes in the Telavi and Gurjaani municipalities of the Kakheti region.

Since May 1, Georgia has exported 28,7 tonnes of peach and nectarines, which has exceeded 5, 7 tonnes (25%) and 6,9 million USD (36%) in comparison to the previous year. 2021 export has amounted to 26, 1 million GEL. Export has been carried out to the Russian Federation (18,942), tonnes), Armenia (8,156 tonnes), Ukraine (768 tonnes), Azerbaijan (269 tonnes), Kazakhstan (134 tonnes), Belarus (119 tonnes), Moldova (116 tonnes), Poland (98 tonnes) and Slovenia (59 tonnes). 

Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia, Mr Levan Davitashvili met with Mr Francisco Carlos Bustillo Bonasso, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uruguay. In the course of the meeting, attendees scrutinized matters related to trade-economic cooperation matters. Minister Davitashvili delivered an overview of trade relations of Georgia at a broad extent and stressed out about the possibilities to pursue trade relations with the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, as well as share experience in an area of agriculture. “Georgia attains a trustworthy position in an area of animal healthcare. Therefore, export of products of animal origins and live livestock to the Oriental Republic of Uruguay will be an important cooperation, which will be a mutually beneficial action” – Minister Davitashvili stated. “We have demonstrated readiness with an effective and results-based trade relations. I am firm that we will have a successful cooperation with regard to agriculture, as well as livestock areas” – Minister Francisco Carlos Bustillo Bonasso stated.

 The first Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia, Mr Giorgi Khanishvili attended opening of the construction process in the village of Tibaani, which will host a new farm with modern equipment. New farming will embrace Tibaani from the second half of September and it will be fully equipped by the company “Caucasus Genetics”, which will also ensure smooth operation of the farm.  “The new farming will be a comprehensive study-research complex, which will ensure operation of breeding as well as ensure capacity building of the staff. It is crucial to establish the similar farms enterprises at other regions, which will ensure progress of livestock farming. The State has ensured support to each and every direction of agriculture and the respective steps are consistent. We have made efforts to develop farming industry in Georgia and ensure modern standards in the breeding industry. We have a ten-year action plan, which has set forth actions for assisting livestock farming” – Deputy Minister Khanishvili stated.  The farm has resulted form a preferential agro-credit amounting from 325, 000 GEL by the LTD “Butrana”, which has equipped the farm with modern appliances.