The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), under the EU-funded ENPARD programme, announces the fifth cycle of grant competition to support agricultural initiatives in Georgia. 

The objectives of the programme are to improve access to finance, services, modern equipment and inputs for farmers, rural households, cooperatives and other small and medium enterprises (SMEs). These improvements are expected to contribute to increased competitiveness of the agricultural sector and better livelihoods for people living in the rural areas.

The competition will provide funding to those whose farms and businesses operate in one of the following municipalities: Lagodekhi, Dedoplistskaro, Tetriskaro, Akhalkalaki, Borjomi, Kazbegi, Keda and Khulo. These are the eight municipalities where the rural development LEADER projects are implemented under ENPARD. The grant programme supports the following pre-selected investments: no-till planters for cereal production, drip irrigation systems, and small tractor packages with implements. In addition, anti-hail nets for apple growers and no-till planters for cereal producers will be co-funded in Gori Municipality. 

The programme provides 60 percent co-funding for the drip irrigation systems and no-till planters, while tractors with implements and anti-hail nets will be subsidized with 40 percent of the total investment value. Details about the programme, list of the pre-selected equipment and

Suppliers, as well as instructions for application are available from today at the website: www.faogrants.ge

Candidates are encouraged to register as soon as possible, as the grant applications will go through the technical evaluation stage based on the submission date and funds availability.

In the last two years, close to 250 Georgian farmers, cooperatives, SMEs and entrepreneurs were selected to receive matching grants for a total amount of 16.3 million GEL. The matching grant scheme co-funds various capital investments in Georgia’s agriculture sectors to increase the quality, quantity and sustainability of the agricultural production, while creating extra jobs and ensuring the stability in food supplies. Agricultural Grants Programmme is one of the components of the project - “Improving the Agriculture Sector in Georgia“ - with a total budget of EUR 12 million implemented by FAO under the third phase of ENPARD. 

The EU is supporting agriculture and rural development in Georgia through its ENPARD programme. Implemented since 2013 with a total budget of EUR 234.5 million, the main goal of ENPARD is to provide economic opportunities in rural areas and reduce poverty in Georgia. More information on ENPARD is available at: https://eu4georgia.eu/enpard/