Rome – FAO Director-General QU Dongyu met today with Otar Shamugia, Minister for Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia on the sidelines of the 50th Session of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS 50).
The Minister expressed his appreciation for the opportunity to meet the Director-General and thanked him for FAO’s ongoing support to Georgia. The Minister also noted the timely discussions of CFS 50 in view of global challenges related to food security.
The Minister informed the Director-General that agricultural development is a key priority for Georgia, citing its Agriculture and Rural Development Strategy (ARDS) for 2021-2027, and noted that progress and improvements are being made on increased production, exports, market diversification and other areas.
The Minister also highlighted that in the context of Georgia’s application to join the European Union, alignment with EU regulations and standards for agriculture remain a key priority for the country; in that respect, he expressed appreciation for FAO’s programme and technical support in Georgia, which supports country priorities. The Minister also emphasized that knowledge on, and introduction of, new technologies and mechanization in agriculture remains a challenge in Georgia, noting that enhanced capacity building is required country-wide in order to cascade knowledge down to farmers and other stakeholders in the agriculture sectors.
For his part, the Director-General expressed his appreciation to the Minister for his visit and for Georgia’s ongoing support to the mandate of FAO. In reference to Georgia’s application process to join the European Union, the Director-General noted that the process provides a unique opportunity for Georgia to enhance, improve and transform its agrifood systems. In particular, he highlighted that wine and various fruits and vegetables, along with market diversification and value-addition, are key areas that Georgia could focus on under FAO’s One Country One Priority Product programme.
The Director-General also noted that participating in the Hand-in-Hand Initiative could support Georgia’s goals for the further development of its agriculture sectors, and stressed that capacity building, science and innovation, enabling policies and investment will remain key to catalyzing agrifood systems transformation in the country.
