Georgia fosters hazelnut production
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Georgia is fostering hazelnut production by launching a dedicated hazelnut sector development programme.
The programme aimed to grow the production of hazelnuts in Georgia along with the simultaneously decreasing cost price of hazelnuts and increasing export possibilities.
The programme was initiated by the Georgian Government and implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture through the Agriculture Cooperatives Development Agency, using European Union (EU) budget support.
Last year Georgia's export volume of nuts exceeded the export volume of wine for the first time, meaning nuts became Georgia’s main agricultural export product, according to data from the country's Agricultural Ministry.
Georgia’s Minister of Agriculture Otar Danelia believed hazelnuts had created a new perspective for Georgia’s agriculture sector.
Within the framework of the project, the Agriculture Ministry has begun constructing the facilities for a hazelnut-in-shell drier and storage business in the village of Darcheli, in Zugdidi Municipality. Upon completion, the business will have the capacity to dry over 24 tonnes and store over 500 tonnes of hazelnuts.
The price of Georgian nuts in the global market will become more competitive thanks to the VAT free taxation system. Photo from ENPARAD.
Due to be completed by the end of August 2015, Darcheli’s hazelnut industry will then be handed over to a 500-member strong hazelnut cooperative.
As the Agriculture Ministry will ensure international food security standards are implemented, the Darcheli hazelnut cooperative will be obliged to implement Good Agricultural Practices (Global GAP) by September 2018, and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) by June 2019.
Nut producing has been supported by the Government, especially with VAT free taxation. This has allowed the price of Georgian nuts in the global market to become more competitive.
The cost of nuts is increasing worldwide because of higher demand. In recent years the average price per kilogram of shelled nuts was four GEL while in 2014 this price had increased to eight-nine GEL as a result of international market trends. Last year Turkey, the world leading nut exporter, lost half of its harvest due to freezing weather so the global price of nuts increased and turned into a beneficial situation for Georgian entrepreneurs.
Georgian nuts will soon become a globally recognised brand – this is the main goal of the Nut Production State Program which is launching today.
Leading specialists, scientists, delegates and representatives of local and foreign enterprises, exporter organisations, Governmental bodies and civil society are teaming up to develop a Non-Timber Forest Products’ sector in Georgia.
Georgian nuts are invading the European market and are fast becoming the country’s main agricultural export product.
The amount of Georgian agricultural products exported to the European Union (EU) and the United States (US) is increasing, says the country’s Ministry of Agriculture.
Georgia’s role as a global hazelnut producer is strengthening with the opening of a new nut drying and storage facility.
Georgian honey has a high chance of making an impression in Europe and becoming Georgia’s leading exported products alongside wine, hazelnuts and blueberry.
Georgia is fostering hazelnut production by launching new rules to regulate hazelnut exports and imports, ensure goods are high quality and eliminate labelling issues.
To strengthen the country’s role as a major global hazelnut exporter, Georgia is launching a new program to increase the quality of exported nuts and sell them worldwide at a premium price to improve the economic livelihoods of more than 50,000 local hazelnut growers.
Nut farmers, wine exporters and meat processors in Georgia have enjoyed a series of workshops to learn how to benefit from the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) deal.
The export of nuts from Georgia will exceed the export of wine in the near future, Andrei Yarmak, economist and expert at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) told East Fruit, an international analytical platform for fruit and vegetables.