Spanish Jamon Ham to Be Produced in Georgia

The Partnership Fund and a local Georgian company, Native Georgian, have signed a memorandum of mutual understanding. Under the memorandum, the production of Jamon, a world famous brand, will start in Georgia.

Jamon is a pork made of a special breed of Spanish black pig. This product is made only in Spain and Portugal and is recognized worldwide.

Under the memorandum, Native Georgian will create a pig farm jointly with local farmers in Kakheti and Racha. The output of the farms will be 9 000 pigs a year. The company plans to grow 1,200 best-bred pigs for 6 years. The company also plans to commercialize Georgia-produced pork on international markets.

“This is one of the world’s most renowned meat product manufacturers. In the 1920s, the company launched the production of delicious pork from Spanish black pigs which were on the verge of extinction. In this way, the company created one of the most in-demand and popular products in the world. Spanish businessmen have visited Georgia several times. They have visited all regions of the country and examined local breeds of pigs at a laboratory level. It is worth noting that Georgian domestic breeds of pigs identical to Spanish genotypes were found in the country. The project implementation makes us happier, because it works in various regions and develops them. The project will create additional job places, revive regional economies and increase revenues for our population. Successful implementation of the mentioned project will develop the Georgia cattle-breeding field and take meat products manufacturing onto European level. All these efforts will lead us to economic recovery,” the Partnership Fund’s executive director, David Saganelidze, said.

A group of Spanish businessmen recently founded Native Georgian, and they also own the Deraza Iberico company in Spain, which is recognized as one of the world’s major meat products manufacturers.

“Spanish businessmen led by Deraza Iberico founder Rejino Diaz Del Riosa, visited Georgia with specific investments proposals in May 2016. They are interested in finding Georgian pig breeds and making investments in pork production. By involving David Saganelidze, the company representatives visited regions of Georgia, met local farmers and conducted scientific research works on Georgian pig breeds.

“The visit of the Deraza Iberico delegation to Georgia was planned at a business meeting in Spain during a visit of Partnership Fund members. The Partnership Fund’s executive director David Saganelidze and the Investment Department director Giorgi Cherkezishvili met with the Deraza Iberico founder and received information on the production process. At the meeting, Deraza Iberico representatives expressed interest in visiting Georgia and making investments in our country,” the Partnership Fund representatives noted. (cbw.ge)