Azerbaijan helps Georgia harvest wheat, grain crops

Azerbaijan is offering a helping hand to its neighbour and friend country Georgia during the busy summer harvest season.

For the first time in history Azerbaijan is offering Georgia special harvesting machines that will be used this harvesting season to pick wheat and grain.

This year Georgia is enjoying a record high [grain] harvest. Because of bad weather, picking has already started in Georgia’s Kakheti and Kvemo Kartli regions, almost at the same time,” said Georgia’s Ministry of Agriculture.

In total 86 local machines are involved in the harvest, however there is still a deficit of special harvesting machines,” said the agency.

To continue the harvest without any difficulties, the Ministry brought the much-needed harvesting machines from Azerbaijan yesterday.

The machines are already in Georgia to help local farmers in the crop harvest. Photo by Georgia's Ministry of Agriculture. 

More than 30 machines crossed the border from Azerbaijan into Georgia. These machines will be put to use by local farmers within the next 20-25 days, reported Azerbaijan business website ABC.AZ.

This year four tonnes of grain was expected to be picked off each hectare of crops, which was double the amount grown in 2015, said Georgia’s Ministry of Agriculture.

Furthermore, this year more land was being used to grow grain than in previous years. Officials said more than 80,000 hectares of land was being used to grow wheat and more than 40,000 hectares for barley.

This year’s harvest will undergo stringent testing before being sold to ensure it is of the highest quality.