Gov’t to subsidise agricultural land owners with $100 per hectare in state programme

The Georgian Government will subsidise agricultural land owners with a state programme offering ₾300 ($97/€90) per hectare, Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili announced on Monday. 

Landowners, co-owners and the beneficiaries who own lands from 0.25 up to 1.25 hectares will receive the subsidy as points added to their special agricultural accounts, enabling them to purchase goods needed for their work.

Garibashvili called the programme a “very important assistance,” noting about 300,000 farmers would benefit from the project.

With a total budget of ₾35 million ($11.4mln/€10.5mln), the programme aims to facilitate timely implementation of agricultural works, and have a positive impact on associated costs.

The PM noted the Government also supported farmers with larger lands by financing the interest rate of loans taken with the working capital in the amount of nine percent, adding ₾20 million ($20.5mln/€6mln) had been issued in loans since March 22 to support cultivation of annual crops.

Garibashvili also said all municipalities in the country would have a 24-hour water supply by the end of 2025, noting the project tackling the long-standing issue would be funded with about ₾350 million ($114mln/€105.8mln).

He also highlighted the growth rate of foreign trade in Georgia remained high in March, also noting a “significant increase” in tourism in the reported period. 

Georgian external trade turnover amounted to $3.8 billion in January-March 2022, posting a 38 percent increase year-on-year. 

Revenue from international travellers amounted to $394 million in January-March 2022, an increase of about $340 million compared to the previous year, and a 68.1 percent recovery compared to 2019.