Deadline to apply for the agricultural Grant Competition has been extended by FAO and EU Delegation to Georgia, due to Coronavirus emergency state in the country. Farmers, rural households, cooperatives and other small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in rural areas of Georgia can register until April 8, at the website: www.faogrants.ge

The second Grant Cycle, announced by FAO on 1 January, 2020, under the EU-funded European Neighbourhood Programme for Agriculture and Rural Development (ENPARD III) is fully adapted to the emergency state of the country and offers comprehensive online and phone consulting for the candidates who want to apply. Phone numbers of the coordinators, as well as information on application submission and required supporting documents are available at the website: www.faogrants.ge

Theobjectives of this grant initiative are to improve access to finance, services, equipment and inputs for farmers, rural households, cooperatives and other small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in rural areas. These improvements are expected to contribute to increased competitiveness of the agricultural sector and better livelihoods for people living in the rural areas.  

The competition includes two categories of grants. Within the Grant Category 1 agricultural initiatives will be funded for farmers, rural households, cooperatives and SMEs whose farms and businesses operate in one of the following municipalities: Lagodekhi, Dedoplistskaro, Tetriskaro, Akhalkalaki, Borjomi, Kazbegi, Keda or Khulo. These are the eight municipalities where the rural development LEADER projects are implemented under EU-funded ENPARD Programme. The Grant Category 1 will support capital investments like machinery and equipment in any sector of agriculture.

The Grant Category 2 will support farmers, rural households, cooperatives and SMEs who operate in the municipalities of Akhaltsikhe, Dusheti, Khelvachauri, Shuakhevi, Marneuli, Bolnisi, Dmanisi, Gardabani, Tsalka, Ninotsminda, Aspindza, Kvareli, Gurjaani and Signaghi. This grant category follows a value chain approach and aims to support the following 5 sectors: beef (in all municipalities), dairy (in all municipalities), vegetable (in Kvareli, Gurjaani and Sighnaghi), wheat (in Sighnaghi) and potato production (in Tsalka, Ninotsminda and Aspindza).

The Grant Competition also gives an opportunity to the cooperatives registered in all the regions of Georgia to obtain co-financing.

Grant competition will not cover operating expenditures such as inputs, working capital and seeds. The required contribution that can be provided by the project should not be below 1.000 USD or above 150,000 USD for the application to be considered eligible. 

The initiative will provide 40% grants and requires beneficiaries to co-invest a minimum of 60% of the total investment requirement.

The initiative will also aim to support specific investments with high economic, social, and environmental impact and will increase the level of support to 60%. 

The European Union is supporting rural development in Georgia through its ENPARD Programme. Aiming to reduce rural poverty, ENPARD has been implemented since 2013, with a total budget of Euro 179.5 million. The first phase of ENPARD focused on developing national agriculture potential, while the second and third phases focus on creating economic opportunities for the rural population that go beyond agricultural activities. More information on ENPARD is available at: www.enpard.ge