Georgia Launches New Quality Mark Regulations
New Regulations, Rules for Assigning the Right of Quality Mark Use, have been developed by the Ministry of Environment Protection and Agriculture of Georgia, representing another step from the State to promote the quality of Georgian products.
Under the new regulations, there are 11 quality classifiers: the Protected Geographic Indication (PGI), Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), Traditional Product, Georgian Quality, Grass Fed, Hand Made, Stemming from the Highlands, Forest Nurtured, Juice of Immediate Squeeze, Bio Product and Transitioning to Bio Production.
Applications for the Quality Mark are voluntary, and it is assigned in line with the rules adopted under the legislation of Georgia.
The presentation of the Quality Mark regulations took place within the frames of the Tbilisi Tea and Honey Festival in Mtatsminda Park on May 5 and it was opened by the Environment and Agriculture Minister, Levan Davitashvili and the Prime Minister of Georgia, Mamuka Bakhtadze.
Davitashvili explained that the presentation was symbolically held within the scope of the festival in order to underline that Georgia can offer high-quality and clean products.
“The new regulations of the quality mark ensure more reliability and protection for Georgian products. It will also increase the demand for Georgian products, promote agro-tourism and increase trust and export," the Minister said.
Davitashvili explained that the Right of Quality Mark Use envisages development of a food quality system, product branding, implementation of international marketing practices and protection of legal / institutional mechanisms to improve the quality and origin of food.
While delivering his speech, the Georgian Prime Minister said the demand for biologically clean products is increasing worldwide and Georgia has a unique chance to established itself on the global market as a country producing biologically and environmentally clean food.
He added that increased competitiveness in the agriculture sector is one of the priorities of the Economic Policy of the Government of Georgia, which is achieved through environmentally clean, so called organic food production.
Bakhtadze also announced that organic food production will gradually become tax-free in the country.
“We have waived taxes from a great portion of natural food production already, but we have a more ambitious plan - to make every enterprise that meets the highest standards and produces biologically clean, organic agro-food absolutely tax-free. It will happen step by step,” he said.
The PM believes that such steps will facilitate the incorporation of a lot of small enterprises in the country to ultimately help in the eradication of poverty.
“We believe that organic and high-quality food production is the only right way for the development of agriculture. It is a solution enabling our population get tangible results in the shortest period of time,” he added.
By Thea Morrison
Image source: 1TV