Press Release
USAID Celebrates Georgia’s Europe-Oriented Agriculture Development
TBILISI, Georgia— The USAID Agriculture Program will host a celebration of Georgia’s Europe-oriented agriculture development over the past five and half years at Paragraph Freedom Square in Tbilisi on February 28, 2024 from 2 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. GET. The event will highlight key achievements of the Program, through which USAID has partnered with the Government of Georgia and the private sector to advance agriculture development.
Since 2018, the $26.88 million USAID Agriculture Program, implemented by Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture (CNFA), has partnered with Georgia to accelerate the growth and economic impact of agricultural sub-sectors across the country, creating jobs, improving incomes and increasing revenues from micro-small and medium enterprises. Over the last five and a half years, the USAID Agriculture Program provided $7.6 million in grant funding and leveraged more than $20 million in private sector investment. It has also created more than 6,000 new full-time jobs, supported 480 participants with technical assistance, improved the management practices and technologies for more than 1,000 agricultural enterprises and helped 71 enterprises implement international food safety systems or obtain relevant certifications. The Program particularly supported agricultural sub-sectors with the potential to grow through enhanced export capacity and increased access to new markets. These included the berry, culinary herb, stone fruit, perishable vegetable, pome fruit, table grape, mandarin, nut crop and wine sub-sectors.
USAID provided this assistance in partnership with the Government of Georgia and private sector actors including the Rural Development Agency (RDA), the National Wine Agency of Georgia, the Georgian Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, Enterprise Georgia, the Georgian Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development, international donor organizations, financial institutions and media outlets, together with the ambition and desire to reach new markets expressed by Program participants, significant outcomes have been achieved.
With Georgia recently being granted European Union candidate status, the USAID-supported development of its agriculture sector has enabled a continued trajectory of economic growth with potential to expand trade and obtain international food safety certifications, leading to high-quality fresh produce from Georgia becoming a staple in grocery stores and food markets across Europe and other key export markets.
The celebration event will be led by Naniko Khazaradze and Nikoloz Tsulukidze, hosts of the Program’s acclaimed AgriTalk platform, and will include special presentations by the U.S. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Georgia, the Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, and the Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development.
The U.S. Agency for International Development administers the U.S. foreign assistance program providing economic and humanitarian assistance in more than 80 countries worldwide.
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About USAID in Georgia: USAID first opened its doors in Georgia in 1992. In total, USAID has invested approximately $1.9 billion in programs to help Georgia to build effective and accountable public institutions; improved education, healthcare, and other public services; an economy that creates jobs and prosperity for workers, families, and communities across the country; and democratic processes that put citizens at the center. USAID currently invests in 40 development programs that support Georgia in a number of key areas – economic growth, energy security, education, democratic governance, and many others – all of which are aligned with Georgia’s domestic priorities to strengthen its security, prosperity, and democracy and to continue advancing toward Europe. For more information, please visit: https://www.usaid.gov/georgia.
About CNFA: Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture is an international agricultural development organization that specializes in the design and implementation of sustainable, enterprise-based agricultural initiatives. We work with businesses, foundations, governments, and communities to build customized local and global partnerships that meet the world’s growing demand for food. Since our inception in 1985, we have designed and implemented enterprise-based, agricultural development initiatives to facilitate market access, enhance agribusiness competitiveness, increase productivity, and improve access to inputs and financing in 49 countries around the world.