2017-12-13
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili, together with Minister of Agriculture Levan Davitashvili and EU Ambassador to Georgia Janos Herman, attended the Conference "For a Better Rural Life" and summarized the implementation of phase one (2014-2017) of the European Neighborhood Program for Agriculture and Rural Development (ENPARD). Under the program, rural residents received direct EU assistance. The Prime Minister visited the exhibition reflecting the projects implemented under the program and addressed the conference's participants.
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili appraised the four-year program of EU-Georgia agricultural cooperation:
"Greetings, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I welcome representatives of the diplomatic corps, Cabinet and Parliament members, and especially the farmers who sustain the dynamics of our country's economy and agricultural development.
I express my sincere gratitude to the EU for the vital assistance to our country, especially its agriculture and agricultural development which is taken by us as trust from our partners and a confirmation of the right direction our country's reforms.
77.5 million euro assistance allocated under ENPARD's phase three, and a total of 180 million euro for all three phases, is of vital importance to our country because ensuring stronger villages and agricultural development are some of our top priorities.
Today, we have tangible progress, indeed, and it is thanks to the coordinated and effective cooperation between the Government, international donor organizations, our partner countries, and the private sector.
Notably, the signing of the EU Association Agreement offered Georgia brand new opportunities which also involve important reforms that we are implementing. We are fulfilling, in stages, our obligations, and the EU has been our active supporter in this process.
Our Government seeks to foster business-oriented agricultural development and to transform Georgia into an exporter of agricultural goods. To this end, we are implementing a number of reforms with assistance from ENPARD, which has been Georgia's active supporter since 2013, and it is thanks to this program that the effectiveness of our agricultural institutions has improved and the agricultural sector reformed, rural social and economic opportunities are promoted, employment and living conditions bettered, which has been made possible through empowering farmers' cooperatives and enhancing access to resources.
Allow me to single out a couple of examples. More than 280 cooperatives have enjoyed direct EU financing and technical assistance, more than 1,000 cooperatives have received grants. Initiated in 2015 the EU, pilot agricultural development projects have been successfully implemented in Lagodekhi, Borjomi, and Kaznegi. More than 120 initiatives have been financed in such areas as agriculture, tourism, social services, infrastructure, and environment protection. These initiatives have created jobs for more than 700 households, and 8,000 rural residents now have improved living conditions.
As for ENPARD's phase three, according to the agreement, these amounts will be used to better the living and working conditions in the country's rural areas. It is important to us that the program dedicates much attention to the improvement of environment protection and environmental policy, which is in line with our latest structural changes designed to incorporate environment protection and agriculture into one structural body.
I am convinced that the financing under ENPARD's phase three will bring just as tangible results as the previous two.
Once again, I would like to thank the EU Delegation to Georgia, especially Mr. Janos Herman who is personally engaged in the active and successful implementation of relevant programs. I am thankful to the EU for providing the opportunities opening up after the signing of the Association Agreement and DCFTA. These agreements put in place brand new potential for Georgia's rural population, and I am convinced that, by successfully taking consistent steps together with our rural population, we will ensure significant improvements in the rural living conditions, and through our cooperation, which is very important to Georgia, we will ensure the best possible conditions to rich a desired economic scope and to land Georgian products in the EU market."
Prime Minister's Press Office