Georgian Tea Program:
New tea processing plant to open in Georgia’s west

Georgia is stepping up its efforts to encourage the development of tea production in the country.

A new tea processing factory will be built in Laituri village in Georgia’s Ozurgeti region within the Georgian Tea Plantation Rehabilitation state program, announced Georgia’s Ministry of Agriculture.

A Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) system will be established in the new factory in Laituri.

HACCP is a management system in which food safety is addressed through the analysis and control of biological, chemical, and physical hazards from raw material production, procurement and handling, to manufacturing, distribution and consumption of the finished product.

At the same time an old and abandoned tea plantation in Laituri will be rehabilitated using 70 percent co-financing from the state.

The Georgian Tea program was created by Georgia’s Agriculture and Economy Ministries in November 2015, and aimed to rehabilitate 7,000 hectares of tea plantations in Georgia over several years.

The first stage of the program started in February this year and intended to support local and biologically clean tea production in the country.

Within the program the state will also support small tea processing businesses and launch certification programs together with donor organisations to ensure the tea produced in Georgia meets high standards.

All these efforts will make it easier for Georgian tea to be exported to European markets.