Economy Minister Turnava talks about the importance of blueberry exports for Georgia
By Nika Gamtsemlidze
Monday, October 5
Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Natia Turnava and First Deputy Minister of Environment and Agriculture Giorgi Khanishvili attended the presentation of the blueberry investment project of Efco Ltd.
In his welcoming speech, Giorgi Khanishvili spoke about the projects promoting the development of agriculture in the country and focused on the importance of the subcomponent of the financing of berry crops within the framework of the project Introduce the Future.
“Numbers are a good measure of efficiency. Today, blueberries are one of the leading products in terms of export potential. As you know, we are constantly working to diversify export markets. In 2019, 664 tons of blueberries were exported, which is an impressive figure,” noted Khanishvili.
“The Partnership Fund has been supporting the development of blueberry culture in Georgia for many years,” said Davit Saganelidze, Executive Director of the Partnership Fund, in his speech at the presentation of the Blueberry Plantation Project.
According to him, with the investment of the fund in Laituri, Ozurgeti district, a 127 hectare blueberry plantation was planted on the land, the largest production line in the region, equipped with modern technology, and a refrigeration plant was arranged. In addition, an international standard has been introduced and the enterprise has been awarded a number of quality certificates.
“It is noteworthy that the plantation was expanded in 2016 as a result of the investment of the Partnership Fund and became the largest blueberry plantation in the country. This summer, the blueberry plantation was bought by Efco Ltd. at a public auction, and I am glad that it is the Georgian multi-profile investment company Forsyth Investment Group, which aims to create one of the largest international blueberry agro companies in the region,” added Saganelidze.
As Saganelidze noted, today Georgian blueberries already have the potential to occupy an important place not only in the Georgian but also in the international export market. He also added that Georgia has a chance of becoming one of the largest exporters of blueberries worldwide.
The Minister of Economy, Natia Turnava, said that the export of blueberries is a very important thing for Georgia. As she said, with the help of Partnership Fund, a total of 20 million GEL has been spent to help this market.
Efko Ltd owns and manages a 32-hectare blueberry plantation in Laituri, Guria. The company owns a total of 326 hectares of agricultural land, which the company plans to fully use in the next five years.
