Kakheti farmers to receive compensation for hail damage
Vineyard owners will get 50% compensation of the loss while the government will reimburse all other agriculture businesses by 70%. Photo: APMA.
Tweet 
Share
Georgian farmers will receive compensation for damage to crops caused by hail and severe weather conditions.
A calculation of the total losses suffered this season is underway.
Vineyard owners will get 50% compensation of the loss while the government will reimburse all other agriculture businesses by 70%.
Agriculture Ministry official Natalia Kharatishvili and Kvareli Municipality Mayor Rostom Sesiashvili have met with farmer Suliko Gezelashvili and visited his hail-affected vineyard.
Vineyard injured by hail. Photo: APMA.
Half of Suliko Gezelashvili’s harvest was totally destroyed as a result of the hail. He will receive 12,000 lari ($4,203/€3,692) in compensation.
The beneficiary had paid 1,275 lari to have the 2 hectare area insured.
As of June, 2019 the government has issued 11,173 policies in total, 5,898 beneficiaries are involved in the programme with 11,520 hectares of land plots.
The government subsidy amounts 4,554,318 lari ($1,595,208/€1,401,430) while the harvest cost is 104,865,702 lari ($36,730,542.87/€32,261,538) in total.
Georgia is starting a new seven-year programme worth $32 million that will help the country to prevent natural disasters.
The Georgian government has approved the Natural Disaster Prevention Programme for which 20 million GEL will be allocated from the state budget.
Strong winds and heavy rainfall have caused problems in Tbilisi, particularly in the Didube-Chugureti district, the Georgian Emergency Management Service reports.
Heavy rain has hit Akhmeta and Lagodekhi municipalities in Kakheti region. About 1000 hectares of fruit trees and vineyards were damaged as the water level in River Alazani increased.
Heavy hail has hit the villages of Dzveli Anaga and Jugaani in the Sighnaghi region, in eastern Georgia yesterday.