ENPARD III representatives conducted information meeting with Khulo LAG managing board

ENPARD III representative Gia Bibileishvili conducted informative meeting with Khulo LAG managing board. As he mentioned: support to Georgian agriculture under ENPARD III is a five-year program (2018-2022) that supports SMEs, Cooperative, and ENPARD municipalities to develop agricultural projects that show strong economic, social, and environmental potential. The individual grants provided in support of cost-shared investments will aim at improving productivity, increasing the quality and marketability of agricultural products, strengthen the linkages within the agricultural value chains, and lead to economic improvement in the ENPARD municipalities.

Individuals applying for grant must allocate 60% of total budget, FAO will finance only 40% of requested amount of money. Managing board admitted that requested amount of share from FAO is too high and it must be reduced at least – around half and half, as from donor and from applicant.

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