Georgia-Dutch partnership boosts vegetable production in Imereti

A Georgian fund and a Dutch company have teamed up to support the development of Georgia’s agricultural sector by expanding a greenhouse in central Georgia to increase the quantity and quality of vegetables produced here.

Georgia’s state-owned shareholding company the Partnership Fund (PF) and Dutch firm Georgian Fresh Holding B.V invested €4.2 million in the greenhouse expansion of the Imereti Greenery greenhouse, located in Georgia’s Imereti region. Of the investment, €1.4 million directly came from the PF.

The expansion project saw an additional 1.6 hectares of space added to the greenhouse, which is located in the small town of Samtredia. The facility was built in 2014 on 10,000 m2. Since its establishment Imereti Greenery produced up to 160 tonnes of lettuce and herbs per year, with produce being sold daily.

The main reason for expanding the greenhouse was to replace low quality imported products with higher quality locally produced goods. Photo by the PF.

The expanded greenhouse was expected to produce 1,000 tonnes of various vegetables per year.

The produce grown in the larger greenhouse will be sold locally and be exported to foreign markets including Georgia’s neighbouring countries, said the PF.

The main reason for expanding the greenhouse was to replace low quality imported products with higher quality locally produced goods.

Currently 23 people were employed in the greenhouse however once the expansion project was completed, the number of employees will increase to 40, said the PF.