BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb.2
By Tamilla Mammadova – Trend:
The Seeds and Saplings Association (GEOSSA) has been established in Georgia, Trend reports via EastFruit portal.
The association, founded by 10 local private nurseries, was created with the support of the European Union and the FAO within the framework of the project “The European Union's Innovation Initiative for the Competitiveness of the Private Sector in Georgia”.
One of the main challenges facing the country's agricultural sector today is the low quality of seed and planting material, which is due to the lack of certified production.
As a result, many Georgian farmers use imported seedlings and seedlings, despite the fact that they are almost twice as expensive as those offered by local producers. It is expected that the result of the activities of the Association in cooperation with the parties involved in the project will be the establishment of production in Georgia of only 100 percent healthy, high-quality, certified seedlings, and their sale both in local and foreign markets.
GEOSSA intends to help nursery owners to improve the quality of production, promote intra-industry cooperation, and protect the interests of producers at the level of state institutions. The association will actively work with sector participants to ensure that they also join GEOSSA.
“I would like to thank the European Union and FAO for their support in the creation of our Association. I am sure that thanks to joint efforts, certified seed and sapling farms will develop in Georgia, competition between producers will increase, and they will be able to both meet the needs of the local market and export their product,” said Berdia Silagadze, Chairman of the Board of Directors of GEOSSA.
The EU Innovation Initiative for the Competitiveness of the Private Sector in Georgia is a project that has been implemented with funding from the European Union FAO and other UN agencies (UNDP, IOM, UNIDO) since 2018.
---
Follow the author on Twitter: @Mila61979356