1,050 tonnes of grapes damaged in hail processed in Kakheti with state subsidy - Agriculture Ministry
The state body said the enterprise started receiving grapes the day following the adverse weather hit the location, with ₾0.9 offered to farmers for each kilogram of the produce. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge
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Georgia's Ministry of Agriculture on Tuesday said 1,050 tonnes of grapes damaged by heavy rainfall, hail and strong winds in the country’s eastern winemaking region of Kakheti last week had been accepted from farmers by the state enterprise Harvest Management Company thanks to a state subsidy.
The Ministry said the grapes were processed at five locations in Telavi, Sighnaghi, Kvareli and Gurjaani municipalities of the region.
Photo via Ministry of Agriculture
Abundant rainfall and winds affected several villages in the region, damaging agricultural crops including vineyards, with the Ministry noting an area larger than 3,500 hectares had been affected by hail.
The state body said the enterprise started receiving grapes the day following the adverse weather hit the location, with ₾0.9 offered to farmers for each kilogram of the produce.
It also said a total of 16,000 tonnes of grapes, including 8,000 tonnes of Rkatsiteli and 5,000 tonnes of Saperavi varieties, had been processed during this year’s harvest, in which 220 wine enterprises had registered.
The National Wine Agency on Sunday said the state enterprise Harvest Management Company was ready to receive and process grapes damaged by the climate conditions, following heavy rainfall, hail and strong wind late on Saturday, affecting several villages in eastern winemaking Kakheti region.
Levan Mekhuzla, the Chair of the National Wine Agency of Georgia, on Saturday said 2500 tonnes of grapes had already been processed in the eastern winemaking Kakheti region.
About ₾50 million ($19mln) has been allocated to subsidising this year’s grape harvest across Georgia in order to “financially support farmers” and ensure "not a single kilogram of grapes is left behind", Agriculture Minister Otar Shamugia said on Thursday.
The Georgian Government will subsidise the harvest of winemakers across the country in the coming fall and also anticipates a part of this year’s yield to be of “inadequate quality” due to “climate conditions”.