How the EU supports Georgian agribusinesses in exporting their products

AgroDeals is an online trading platform created for the agricultural sector in the Black Sea region.

It brings together farmers, agricultural cooperatives, retailers and wholesalers, exporters and importers – anyone involved in making, buying and selling agricultural products. The platform helps entrepreneurs to find partners in the international market and expand their business.

AgroDeals has been developed as part of the EU project ‘Piloting of trade capacity by creating a modern innovative online platform for agriculture’, implemented by the Georgian Institute of Public Affairs (GIPA).

Project Manager Nana Kashakashvili, who is also Head of the Department of Rural Development and Vocational Education in GIPA, says that AgroDeals will bring big benefits to people working in agriculture.

“The purpose of the platform is to create a modern, flexible online environment that gathers all the necessary information on agricultural trade in one place,” Nana explains.

Using the platform is easy and straightforward – entrepreneurs simply have to register on the website, after which they can upload their products.

“By gathering information about agribusinesses, the platform helps people working in agriculture to learn about market demand, trends and various programmes for enhancing their capability,” explains Project Coordinator Sergo Turmanidze.

Winemaker Tamar Digmelishvili was one of the first small entrepreneurs to register on AgroDeals. She has her own wine cellar in the village of Shashiani, Georgia. The award-winning winemaker says she initially found it difficult to establish herself in the local market. But the desire to continue the family tradition gave her strength to overcome the barriers.

“I was born into a farming family. For my father winemaking was not just a job – it was a family tradition. I have been helping with vine growing and grape pressing since I was five.

After taking over the family business, Tamar expanded her vineyard and planted rare vine varieties. She says she is the only female winemaker in Georgia who makes chardonnay in wine jars set in the ground.

Besides working in a largely male-dominated sector, Tamar faces other challenges, such as high competition:

“Competition affects wine prices, which results in low profits. That is why exporting products is very important for small entrepreneurs.”

When Tamar first heard about the EU project at a business development event, she saw an opportunity to export her wine to the international market.

“The platform makes it much easier to find relevant contacts abroad. Companies provide accurate calculations of their needs, and for wine producers it is a great advantage to know the demand for their product in advance. Stable partner relations are very important for businesses,” the entrepreneur explains.

Although registration on AgroDeals is only available to farmers and entrepreneurs based in the Black Sea region, interested parties from around the world can use the website to trade online. The project’s coordinator says:

“We try to reach out to every business with the potential to export their products. This pilot project will help entrepreneurs create high-quality products, export them and increase their production scale. As a result, it will be easier for people working in the agribusiness sector in the Black Sea region to communicate with each other and find business partners abroad.”

Visit the AgroDeals platform to learn more.

Author: Tamar Kuratishvili

Article published in Georgian by qartli.ge