Perennial Crop Areas Increase by 24 thousand ha in Two Years

Perennial crop areas, including fruit trees, citrus, grapes, tea, hazelnuts, now cover an estimated 226,143 hectares, according to the data of 2015, which is 24,000 ha more compared to the previous year.

According to Georgia’s Ministry of Agriculture, the increasing trend of perennial crop areas was significantly influenced by the Ministry of Agriculture's initiative ‘Plant the Future’.

The main goal of the project, which is carried out by the Agricultural Projects Management Agency, is to decrease the volume of import and increase the use of arable land, enabling farmers and businessmen to create higher quality products.

The farmers who decide to create perennial plant orchards and nursery gardens receive both financial and technical support from the government.

Plant the Future’s two independent components, perennial gardens and nursery gardens, will be co-financed. Potential beneficiaries may take advantage of both components of the program, according to the established rules and conditions.

The amount of state co-financing within the program ‘Plant the Future’ is: if setting up a garden, 70% of the value of seedlings, 50% towards a drip irrigation system and 50% for the nursery itself.

The Plant the Future project already has 213 beneficiaries.

Ana Akhalaia