(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and Agriculture
Minister Otar Shamugia reviewed projects in the sector for this
year, from the budget of the Preferential Agrocredit Programme to
financing for irrigation infrastructure and Promotion of the
country's produce, trend reports with reference to agenda .
The government Administration said the discussion had involved a
review of the plan for distributing the budget of the Ministry to
the following areas:
₾200 million ($76mln) for the Preferential Agrocredit Programme,
with over 10,000 loans to be issued to farmers this year
₾65 million ($24.72mln) for irrigation of 200,000 hectares of
land
₾35 million ($13.31mln) for the Plant the Future programme, to
ensure planting of about 4,000 hectares of new orchards
₾25 million ($9.51mln) for processing and storage, offering
co-financing of up to 60 new enterprises
₾20 million ($7.61mln) for setup and renovation of
infrastructure on protected areas of the country
₾16 million ($6mln) for promoting Georgian agricultural produce,
including wine
₾5 million ($1.90mln) for projects for the development of
infrastructure of agricultural cooperatives
The programme for the promotion of hazelnut production will
continue in 2023, the body added, noting over 68,000 beneficiaries
had registered up to 30,000 hectares of hazelnut farms for the
state registry.
Infrastructure projects will also involve installation of 137
new automatic meteorological, hydrological and geological stations
across the country, while the network of air quality monitoring
facilities will expand by nine automatic stations.
Authorities also plan to restore 1,500 hectares of forest cover
and complete cataloguing 215,000 hectares this year.
In the fish farming sector, specific zones for the establishment
of aquaculture farms in the Black Sea region will be designated in
up to 10 locations this year, for facilitating production of up to
50,000 tonnes in 2023.
In addition, the following projects will be financed with the
support of international organisations:
Renovation of the 19,000 hectare irrigation network of Zemo
Samgori in capital Tbilisi, involving a €90 million co-financing
from the European Investment Bank, French Development Agency and
European Union along with the Government
The World Bank project Georgian Resilient Agriculture,
Irrigation and Land, with a $150 financing aiming to improve water
supply for 26,000 hectares of land
A $23.75 million programme of the United States Agency for
International Development, designated for micro, small and
medium-sized businesses in villages along the administrative
boundary line adjacent to the country's occupied regions
A €16.25 million programme of the German state-owned investment
and development bank KfW for forming new protected areas across the
country
In other details discussed by the officials, food manufacturing
facilities in the country will fully switch to the Hazard Analysis
Critical Control Points safety standard, designed to help protect
consumers and increase competitiveness in the sector, starting in
June.
The requirement for the switch was outlined in the Georgian
Government's Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area Agreement with
the European Union.