Georgia receives 6,000 tonnes of wheat, expecting another 12,000
The wheat was imported by a Georgian company that provides the country with flour and bread products. Photo: szs.gov.ge
Tweet 
Share
Georgia has received 6,000 tonnes of wheat via Poti port in western Georgia earlier today.
An additional 12,000 tonnes of wheat is expected to arrive in the near future.
The wheat was imported by Bevrili Group, a Georgian company that processes flour and produces bread products.
With its 250 employees Bevrili Group produces:
- 10 types of bread
- 11 types of pastry
- 16 types of cookies
During the nationwide state of emergency the company follows all the state and healthcare regulations aimed to avoid the coronavirus transmission.
Bevrili Group has donated GEL 100,000 (about 32 million USD) to the StopCov Fund which was created on March 23 in Georgia to cope with challenges sparked by the coronavirus.
Georgian Agriculture Minister Levan Davitashvili says that there is no risk of food shortages in Georgia due to the coronavirus. Davitashvili met the heads of the large supermarkets earlier today to discuss food stocks and the issue of price regulation.
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia said at a meeting with the heads of local grocery chains that the population should not face any shortage of household products amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Georgia has received a total of 63 tonnes of food stuffs and medical supplies via Batumi port in western Georgia earlier today. Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia welcomed the two ships carrying 40 tonnes of food stuffs and 23 tonnes of medicines.
Georgian Agriculture Minister Levan Davitashvili says that food supplies are regularly monitored and "we have an encouraging situation". He said that there is also enough wheat supply in Georgia and if necessary the country will fill the supplies "from alternative sources and geographical areas".
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food for Progress programme, is donating an additional 27,000 tonnes of high-quality wheat to support Georgia during the coronavirus outbreak. By the end of this month, USDA will sign 18 small grant agreements, totalling $400,000, ‘to strengthen the dairy, beef, and farming sectors and improve food safety standards’.
The wheat harvest is entering its active phase in the Georgian region of Kakheti and this year’s forecast predicts 150,000 tonnes of wheat and 80,000 tonnes of barley will be harvested, announces the Georgian Ministry of Agriculture.
Georgia will partially replace Russian wheat with Kazakh grains as the Russian wheat export tax is doubled per tonne starting today, announces Executive Director of the Georgian Flour Producers Association Levan Silagava.