State company-owned combines harvesting wheat in eastern Kakheti region - Agriculture Minister
About 80 combines owned by a state company are involved in harvesting wheat in the eastern Georgian region of Kakheti where the annual harvest is coming to an end. Photo: Ministry of Agriculture
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About 80 combines owned by a state company are involved in harvesting wheat in the eastern Georgian region of Kakheti where the annual harvest is coming to an end, the Ministry of Agriculture announced on Thursday.
Minister Otar Shamugia said in addition to the fleet, over 30 new combines had been purchased by the private sector through a state co-financing programme, adding the number was still below the intended quantity.
We will continue co-financing and increase the number of agricultural machinery throughout the country in the coming years, which will give farmers the opportunity to harvest wheat during the harvest period without interruption", Shamugia said.
Photo: Ministry of Agriculture
He also said wheat production had increased by about 33 percent last year compared to 2020 and that the harvest "is abundant this year as well".
The Minister also mentioned the recent Government decision on banning export of wheat and barley from Georgia in order to make locally produced grains available on the domestic market as a precaution from supply complications in the Black Sea region, caused by the war in Ukraine.
Photo: Ministry of Agriculture
He also noted the United States was ready to support Georgian wheat production, noting he had discussed "important issues" necessary for the development of domestic agriculture with the US Department of Agriculture and US Agency for International Development during his visit to the country this month.
Wheat harvest will soon continue to the Kartli and Samstkhe-Javakheti regions of Georgia.
Georgia has the resources to increase its wheat self-sufficiency to 50 percent, Georgian Agriculture Minister Otar Shamugia said on Wednesday, noting the state was ready to develop “stimulating projects” aimed at increasing wheat production in the country.
Georgian Agriculture Minister Otar Shamugia summarised his visit to the United States on Monday by noting the US would support Georgian wheat production.
The Georgian Government has decided to ban the export of wheat and barley from the country over the next year starting on July 4, Otar Shamugia, the Georgian Agriculture Minister, said on Tuesday.
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.
The Georgian Wheat Producers Association on Thursday said a draft resolution by the Russian Government on banning hard wheat exports from the country starting next month would have “no influence” on the Georgian market.