Baku, Azerbaijan, October 8
By Tamilla Mammadova – Trend:
The Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia has developed a new strategic document, Trend reports citing the mentioned ministry.
On 30 August 2019, a public hearing to discuss Georgia’s Rural and Agricultural Development Strategy for 2021-2027 was conducted at the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture.
The new strategy document represents a road map for Georgia’s rural and agricultural development for the next decade.
The strategy outlines three major goals to be achieved by 2027: increasing the competitiveness of agricultural and non-agricultural sectors; sustainable management of natural resources, preservation of ecosystems, and climate change adaptation; ensuring food/feed safety and the development of efficient veterinary and plant protection systems.
The new draft strategy suggests that, in comparison to 2018, by 2027 the output of all agro-food production (primary as well as processing) will increase by 29 percent in nominal value.
The ministry says that comparing this growth to the same indicator for the past ten years (2009-2018), it is more than three times lower. Equally, the inflation between 2009-2018 was about 35 percent, and if the same inflation rate is maintained over the next ten years, the total value of agro-food production, in real terms, might not increase at all or only increase very slightly.
According to the new draft strategy, the export of agro-food products is projected to increase by 36 percent within the next ten years.
Between 2009-2018, the average monthly income of rural households increased by 97 percent, whereas over the next ten years this indicator is predicted to grow by only 36 percent (almost three times less). This increase is again defined in nominal terms, while in real terms, the income of rural families might deteriorate given the high inflation rate.