EU, FAO, Georgian Agriculture Ministry issue grants to bolster food production in Georgia amid COVID-19 crisis
The investments mainly focus on the value chains of vegetables, potatoes, cereals, beef and dairy produce. Honey and wine producers will also benefit from the grants. Photo: enpard.ge.
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The European Union (EU), Georgia’s Ministry of Agriculture and Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) have issued grants for a total amount of 2.2 million GEL (about $690,651/€641,567) to support food production and security in Georgia amid the COVID-19 crisis.
The investments mainly focus on the value chains of vegetables, potatoes, cereals, beef and dairy produce. Honey and wine producers will also benefit from the grants.
These grants will allow farmers, cooperatives, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to invest in equipment and installations such as tractors, greenhouses with a contribution from the EU’s European Neighbourhood Programme for Agriculture and Rural Development (ENPARD), that will cover 40-60 per cent of the costs of investments. The total amount of the investments approved exceed 5 million GEL (about $1,569,661/€1,458,108).
EU Ambassador to Georgia, Carl Hartzell shares this news on his Twitter account:
Happy to announce that EU will award 44 agricultural grants worth 2.2 million GEL to bolster food production/security and jobs in Georgia through #ENPARD programme w/ @FAO @agricultureGEO.
— Carl Hartzell (@CarlHartzellEU) April 24, 2020
➡️https://t.co/wmvm4di9K6#EU4Georgia pic.twitter.com/w8cRGiKSWd
In these challenging times, the EU remains one of the most dedicated partners to Georgia. Together with FAO, we are actively working to help Georgian farmers and producers to develop their farming activities. This is a particularly important initiative in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic as the country needs to increase its food security and resilience capacities”, said Carl Hartzell, EU Ambassador to Georgia.
Javier Sanz Alvarez, the coordinator of FAO-EU projects declared that regardless of hard emergency times, FAO and EU will keep on supporting farmers, producers and SMEs in Georgia.
More than ever, we need to help our farmers, and now, spring time, is the critical period to get prepared, cultivate and together prevent any food shortage in the country. We don’t stop, we support you”, Sanz Alvarez said.
SMEs, cooperatives and farmers will be able to present their investment proposals to FAO and EU. Information about the application cycles, application submission, procedures and promoted investments is available on the website enpard.ge.
The Georgian government plans to register a total of 1.2 million ha of land over the next three years. Overall, 1 million ha of land has been registered since the restoration of Georgia’s independence in 1990s until 2016, whereas the same amount of land has been registered since that time until now.
Georgia has reported 25 new cases of coronavirus increasing the total number of cases to 456. The medical director of Tbilisi Infectious Disease Hospital Marina Ezugbaia told journalists that the high number of new cases was the result of ‘aggressive testing’ which was carried out throughout the country yesterday.
A new European Union (EU) supported project worth €12 million will be launched in Georgia to help the country implement the agriculture development strategy for 2015-2020.
EU-funded projects with a budget of 22 million euros (60 million GEL) implemented by the UNDP and the FAO will provide direct assistance to rural communities and support the governments of Georgia and the Adjara Autonomous Republic in sustainable agriculture and rural development policy.
Georgia’s Prime Minister, together with the EU Ambassador to Georgia Janos Herman and Minister of Agriculture Levan Davitashvili, has summarized the achievements of the first phase of the European neighborhood programme for agriculture and rural development (ENPARD), covering 2014-2017.
Two agricultural cooperatives in Georgia’s Imereti region - Terjola Wine and Sazano Winery - are beginning to produce wine and improve the quality of bottles and current labelling systems thanks to European Union (EU) funds.
Farmers in 22 municipalities of Georgia will have the opportunity to obtain co-financing under a 3.2 million GEL (about $1m/€0.92m) grant programme offered by the European Union (EU), the Agriculture Ministry of Georgia and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) for the purchase and installation of modern drip irrigation systems.
Farmers in Georgia will have the opportunity to obtain co-financing under a 2 million GEL grant programme offered by the European Union (EU), the Agriculture Ministry of Georgia and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) for the purchase and installation of modern drip irrigation systems.
Eleven municipalities in Georgia have been awarded 5 million GEL in grants for local infrastructure and business development as part of a programme to support the integrated development of Kakheti, Imereti, Guria and Racha-Lechkhumi-Kvemo Svaneti, announces the Delegation of the European Union to Georgia.
The EU Ambassador to Georgia, Carl Hartzell and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, David Zalkaliani signed an agreement today to kick off the fourth phase of the European Neighbourhood Programme for Agriculture and Rural Development (ENPARD IV), worth €55 million (about 125 million GEL).
The European Union and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation awarded grants amounting to three million GEL to Georgian farmers in 2020, with the next stage of grants worth 2.6 million GEL in the process of being delivered, an end-of-year release by the international bodies said on Tuesday.