Baku, Azerbaijan, September 23
By Tamilla Mammadova – Trend:
A hazelnut warehouse meeting modern standards has been set up in the village of Koki, Zugdidi municipality, Samegrelo-Upper Svaneti region of Georgia, Trend reports referring to the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia.
The drying capacity of the enterprise is 1000 tons, and the storage volume is 500 tons. The company employs 17 local residents. The new hazelnut storage facility will serve around 300 farmers each year. It is also planned to arrange exports from the facility.
According to the ministry, commissioning of the plant for drying and storing hazelnuts in the region is of great importance for maintaining the quality of the product.
“The new enterprise in the village of Koki is an example of successful cooperation between the state, donor organizations and the private sector. The ministry will continue to support local farmers and producers. All projects that serve the development of the processing industry will be continued,” said First Deputy Minister of Environment and Agriculture of Georgia Georgi Khanishvili.
The new venture was created with the support of the Agency for Rural Development under then ministry and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) as part of the Georgia Hazelnut Sector Development Project. The total amount of investments amounts for 770,000 lari, of which 285,000 lari was provided by the state, subsidy, and the rest is the share of donors and beneficiaries.
(1 USD = 2.97 GEL on September 23)