Georgia-Dutch Cooperation for Local Greenhouse Expansion

Georgia’s State Partnership Fund and Dutch firm Georgian Fresh Holding B.V have invested EUR 4.2 million in the expansion of the Imereti Greenery greenhouse, located in Georgia’s Imereti region. The project aims to add an additional 1.6 hectares of space to the greenhouse and increase the quantity and quality of vegetables available on the Georgian market.

The facility was built in 2014 on 10,000 square meters. Since its establishment, Imereti Greenery has produced up to 160 tons of lettuce and herbs per year, with produce being sold daily. The greenhouse expansion started in January 2016 and will be completed in the next month. The company’s representatives claim that vegetable production will increase to 1,000 tons per year.

“At the moment, we are engaged in the production of cucumbers, lettuce and herbs. But we want to do even more and add tomatoes, eggplants and many others to that list,” said Dirk Aleven, coordinator of the project. “We see great potential for import substitution in Georgia and want to develop it and offer consumers a really good quality product.”

The Partnership Fund noted that its investment in the project is only EUR 1.4 million and said that the produced vegetables will be sold both locally and abroad- being exported to foreign markets, including Georgia’s neighboring countries.

23 people are currently employed in the greenhouse, a number which is expected to rise to 40 following completion of the expansion project.

Eka Karsaulidze