The Minister of Environment Protection and Agriculture met today employees of NUTSGE, a nuts procession plant in Samegrelo.

According to Otar Shamugia, the operation of 23 nuts procession plants across the country was co-financed by the Government with GEL 10.2 million with the aim “to support farmers and introduce international standards that are main prerequisites to increase exports and diversify exporting markets”.

As he said, the loans for over GEL 39 million were allocated in the Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti region to promote nuts production.

Besides, approximately 600 training was held for the farmers on quality improvement and competitiveness.

The Minister also met today with nut producers at GeoNuts LTD in Senaki Municipality. As Otar Shamugia said, with prices increasing by 30-40% for medium and high-quality nuts this year, revenues for nut producers are projected to exceed GEL 250 million.

He highlighted nut production as a key priority for agricultural development. During the meeting, he emphasized the importance of access to low-interest loans and co-financing from the Rural Development Agency.