BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 9
By Tamilla Mammadova – Trend:
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and European Union (EU) stay fully committed to helping Georgian farmers and producers, the FAO told Trend.
"In the backdrop of the COVID-19 crisis, the EU, FAO and the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia (MEPA) have teamed up to develop a funding mechanism to support Georgian farmers against the pandemic. Between March and December 2020, the program awarded 132 matching grants with a total amount of up to 8.5 million lari ($2.7 million) to Georgian farmers, entrepreneurs and small and medium businesses in rural areas," said the FAO.
According to the source, in 22 municipalities of Georgia, farmers received drip irrigation kits, agricultural equipment and machinery. These grants are part of the EU’s broader initiative supporting Georgian farmers under the European Neighbourhood Program for Agricultural and Rural Development (ENPARD).
"In addition, a modern bank of plant genetic resources will be created on the territory of the experimental and demonstration base of the Scientific Research Center (SRC) of Agriculture of Georgia in the village of Jigaura (Mtskheta Municipality, Eastern Georgia), in which several hundred varieties of grapes and fruits will be collected," said the source.
The storage will be located in two greenhouses with a total area of 800 square meters, equipped with the support of the European Union (EU) and FAO according to the highest European standards and transferred to the SRC of Agriculture.
"The European Union and FAO, within the framework of the EU4Business program, support the introduction in Georgia of a system of certification of seed and seedling materials - to improve their quality, bring Georgian nurseries closer to European standards and increase confidence in local producers," said the source.
With the support of the same project, the Georgian Seeds and Saplings Association (GEOSSA) was recently established in Georgia.
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