Agriculture Minister, EU Ambassador discuss reforms in forestry sector, waste management
Shamugia also pledged to “fully fulfil” obligations under the Georgia-EU AA, highlighting Georgia’s application for EU membership earlier this month and adding it “brings us one step closer to EU integration.” Photo: Georgian Agriculture Ministry
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Reforms in the forestry sector, air and water resources, waste management and trade relations were the topics covered at a meeting between Otar Shamugia, the Georgian Agriculture Minister and Carl Hartzell, the European Union Ambassador to Georgia, on Wednesday.
During the meeting, the two officials also went over issues of rural and agricultural development, food safety and land management, along with a discussion of a new Forest Code of the country, stipulated by the Association Agreement (AA) signed in 2014 between Georgia and the EU.
The Georgian Minister emphasised the importance of the EU’s support in the implementation of various programmes and projects in the areas of agriculture and environment, and noted “real, tangible results and successes” were achieved in these directions.
Ambassador Hartzell also pointed out “gradual progress” in fields of both rural and agricultural development with the EU’s financial and technical support, hailing Georgia’s ambition to make the most of the opportunities offered to the country by the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (DCFTA), a preferential trade regime introduced within the AA, the Ministry announced.
Shamugia also pledged to “fully fulfil” obligations under the Georgia-EU AA, highlighting Georgia’s application for EU membership earlier this month and adding it “brings us one step closer to EU integration.”
Carl Hartzell, the European Union Ambassador to Georgia, said the EU did not recognise the legal framework of the so-called parliamentary elections that took place in Georgia’s Russian-occupied Abkhazia region on March 12.
There will be “no delays” in terms of product supplies for Georgian consumers, Georgian Agriculture Minister Otar Shamugia said on Thursday.
Shamugia made the comment responding to speculation over a possible lack of availability of products in connection to the conflict in Ukraine, while also urging the public to refrain from buying in bulk to avoid an artificial increase in prices.
Georgia is dependent on import of dairy products “to some extent”, and enterprises in the country have no resources to export such goods on various markets, Georgian Agriculture Minister Otar Shamugia said on Wednesday.
Georgian Agriculture Minister Otar Shamugia has said no shortage in stocks of food and primary consumer goods is observed in Georgia following the outbreak of hostilities in Ukraine last month, stressing the importance of maintaining a “stable supply” of products in the market and avoiding “unreasonable price increases”.
Challenges in Georgia’s winemaking sector and diversification of international markets for promoting sales of wine from the country were in the focus of a meeting between Otar Shamugia, the Georgian Agriculture Minister, Kelly Degnan, the United States Ambassador to Georgia, and Peter Wiebler, the Director of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Georgia mission, on Thursday.
Georgian farmers will be able to get low-interest loans for production of annual crops, following latest changes to the preferential agro-credit state programme, Georgian Agriculture Minister Otar Shamugia announced on Monday.
Environmental reforms in Georgia, projects implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in the country and future cooperation avenues were discussed by Otar Shamugia, the Georgian Agriculture Minister, and Nick Beresford, the UNDP Resident Representative in Georgia, on Tuesday.
Improving productivity and competitiveness of agricultural farms in Georgia, and providing assistance to micro-, small-, and medium-sized agriculture and food production enterprises is the subject of an agreement signed between Otar Shamugia, the Georgian Agriculture Minister, and Raimund Jehle, the Representative of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) on Friday.
Issues of cooperation in the water supply to irrigation systems in Georgia and the strengthening of the capacity of the country’s Land Management Agency were discussed at the meeting between Otar Shamugia, the Georgian Agriculture Minister, and World Bank mission representatives on Friday, the Ministry has announced.
Food safety and transfer of modern technology and knowledge to farmers in Georgia were discussed between Agriculture Minister Otar Shamugia and United States officials in Washington, the Ministry announced on Friday.