Georgia will continue to support hazelnut growers: a unique program for 20 million lari in 2024

Georgia has announced the continuation of the state program to support hazelnuts in 2024. This year, farmers have already received about 21 million lari of targeted assistance to improve the conditions for caring for hazelnut orchards. The budget of the program for the next year will amount to 20 million lari, according to the Rural Development Agency.

This unique state program was launched in Georgia in November 2022 and includes subsidizing the cost of agrochemicals and pesticides. Under the program, individuals who own or use hazelnut orchards with an area of 0.2 to 3 hectares receive a subsidy (agroballs) in the amount of 500 lari (184.5 dollars) per 1 hectare.

Thanks to this initiative, more than 90 thousand hazelnut growers have registered over 44 thousand hectares of their plantations in the hazelnut cadastre by February 18, 2023. Farmers used the received agroballs to purchase the necessary materials in more than 500 specialty stores across the country until August 31.

The program also provides subsidies through the Liberty Bank agricultural card, which ensures the effective distribution of financial assistance in the industry. The state seeks to support hazelnut growers in order to compensate for the unfavorable climatic conditions that affected yields and product quality in 2022. The development of this program is designed to contribute to the recovery of the industry and provide a stable income for farmers.