An estimated 250,000 rural Georgians benefited from current support, EU announces third phase of assistance worth 230 million GEL
13, December 2017, Tbilisi – At the conference “Improving Rural Lives” held in Tbilisi, Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili, Ambassador of the European Union Janos Herman, and Minister of Agriculture Levan Davitashvili summarized the results of the first phase of the EU’s European Neighborhood Programme for Agriculture and Rural Development (ENPARD) in Georgia which ran from 2014 to 2017. An estimated 250,000 Georgians in rural areas directly benefited from the programme.
The EU also used the event to announce a further 230 million GEL (77.5 million EUR) for a third phase of ENPARD to run from 2018-2021.
At the event, the official keynote speeches were followed by a session with the participation of EU beneficiaries. The representatives of EU funded agricultural and rural development projects shared their experiences and success stories, as well as discussed the challenges and future perspectives. In addition, presentation of external evaluation report on different components of ENPARD Phase I was delivered by ENPARD external evaluation team.
In the framework of the event, ENPARD cooperatives gallery and the photo-exhibition of the EU-funded rural development initiatives were organized, so the guests could observe the programme’s results.
The event was attended over 150 representatives of the Government, EU partners and ENPARD implementing international and local organizations, diplomatic corps and the media.
BUSINESS GEORGIA was a media partner of the event.
About ENPARD
The EU supports agriculture and rural development in Georgia through its ENPARD Programme. Implemented since 2013 with a total budget of EU 179.5 million (over GEL 500 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 phase of ENPARD is centered on creating economic opportunities for rural population that go beyond agricultural activities. The third phases will continue strengthening the agriculture sector, and also focus food safety and quality standards and further development of the rural development model.
