Bilateral meeting with H.E. Lasha Dolidze, Deputy Minister for Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia

Dushanbe - FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu, met with H.E. Lasha Dolidze, Deputy Minister for Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia, on the margins of the 35th FAO Regional Conference for Europe and Central Asia to discuss ongoing cooperation between FAO and Georgia, and priorities for strengthening sustainable agrifood systems transformation.

The Director-General welcomed the Deputy Minister and expressed appreciation for Georgia’s active participation in the regional ministerial conference. He underlined the importance of strengthening the competitiveness of Georgian agrifood products. The Director-General also highlighted the strong potential of Georgia’s wine sector and agrotourism as drivers of rural development, value addition and international market visibility.

The Deputy Minister reaffirmed that food security remains a major national priority and briefed the Director-General on the Government’s efforts to further develop the aquaculture sector, as well as key agricultural value chains including hazelnuts and vegetables. Both sides discussed the preparation of the new Country Programming Framework (CPF) 2026–2030, which will support priorities related to rural development, climate resilience, agrifood systems transformation, digitalization and alignment with international standards.

The Director-General welcomed Georgia’s continued agrifood reforms and reaffirmed FAO’s commitment to supporting institutional strengthening, climate-smart agriculture, food safety systems, and rural entrepreneurship through FAO corporate initiatives such as Hand-in-Hand, Digital Villages and One Country One Priority Product (OCOP). Both sides agreed to continue the close cooperation to enhance the resilience, competitiveness and sustainability of Georgia’s agrifood system.