Georgian Agriculture Minister meets hazelnut enterprise representatives in western Samegrelo

Otar Shamugia, the Georgian Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture,  on Thursday met representatives of hazelnut storage and processing enterprises in the country’s western region of Samegrelo, the Ministry said.

At the meeting, held at the hazelnut processing and exporting company NUTSGE, the sides emphasised that within the project Co-financing of Agro Processing and Storage Enterprises, the establishment of 23 hazelnut storage and processing enterprises was co-financed by ₾10.2 million ($3.76mln), including 12 new ones in Georgia's Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti region, the body noted.

Shamugia highlighted the development of new hazelnut orchards, storage and processing infrastructure, and the state's support for farmers in terms of introducing international standards, which was an important factor for increasing exports, the Agriculture Ministry said.

Giorgi Guguchia, the State Representative of the Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti region, pointed out the significance of field knowledge and noted that around 600 trainings, held with the support of the Georgian Government, directly had an effect on the improvement of production and quality of hazelnuts, which was an “essential condition” for competitiveness. 

The sides also emphasised the state’s “important” financial support within the Preferential Agrocredit Project, by which more than ₾63.0 million ($23.27mln) loan had been granted throughout the country for storing and processing hazelnuts, while the co-financing of the Rural Development Agency exceeded ₾18.0 million ($6.65mln).

Within the Agrocredit Project,  ₾39.0million (14.41mln) loan has been granted in the Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti region, with the financing of the Rural Agency exceeding 11.7 ($4.32mln), the Ministry added.