EU support for better seeds for Georgian farmers

A new Georgian Seeds and Saplings Association (GEOSSA) has been established with support from The European Union and The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) under the project ‘EU Innovative Action for Private Sector Competitiveness in Georgia’.

GEOSSA aims to bring Georgian seed, seedling and sapling producers together to address the poor quality of locally produced seeds and saplings due to the lack of certified local production. To tackle this issue, GEOSSA will support private nurseries and seed producers to improve the quality of their production, while advocating for producers’ interests at the level of government institutions.

“ There is a direct link between the quality of the planting materials and productivity,” said Dominik Papenheim, Team Leader for Economic Development and Market Opportunities at the EU Delegation to Georgia. “Having a standardised certification system is important for Georgia not only for avoiding pests and increasing plant health, but also in the view of the approximation to the EU standards that will facilitate exports to the EU and the world”.

The EU Innovative Action for Private Sector Competitiveness in Georgia Joint Programme, implemented by the FAO and other UN agencies (UNDP, IOM, UNIDO), was launched in 2018. The main goal of the Programme is to enhance entrepreneurship and business sophistication by strengthening the capacities of the Georgian government and local entities to develop and operate clusters and support companies directly with strategic investments.

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Press release