Agriculture Minister: agribusiness production has increased by 112% over decade
Overall investments in the agricultural industry totalled ₾6.2 billion ($2.470 bln) last year, of which the state provided ₾1.6 billion ($637,541 mln) in co-financing, the official also cited from the figures, adding new initiatives and programmes were being launched annually to increase the state support for expanding the sector. Photo: Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia
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Georgian Agriculture Minister Otar Shamugia on Thursday told the country’s Parliament the rate of agribusiness production had grown by 112 percent over the past 10 years, with a 14 percent growth marked in 2022 figures compared to the previous year.
In his report on the Ministry’s 2022 work and related statistics, Shamugia told lawmakers the industry's added value had increased by 96 percent and amounted to ₾4.4 billion ($1.753 bln), a 13 percent rise compared to 2021.
Unemployment in rural areas decreased by 6.7 percentage points to 15.7 percent over the past decade, with a 2.5 percent reduction from 2021 figures shown in 2022 statistics, he also said.
Overall investments in the agricultural industry totalled ₾6.2 billion ($2.470 bln) last year, of which the state provided ₾1.6 billion ($637,541 mln) in co-financing, the official also cited from the figures, adding new initiatives and programmes were being launched annually to increase the state support for expanding the sector.
Shamugia also told MPs increasing the competitiveness of Georgian agricultural produce was necessary for maximising their potential for the European Union market.
He also noted domestic regulations had been introduced between 2015-2022 for hazard analysis, critical control points, food safety, veterinary and plant protections under the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area agreement, signed by the Georgian Government with the EU in 2014.