Enhancing Georgian Hazelnut Sector Competitiveness through Improved Practices
The Georgian hazelnut industry stakeholders were offered a specialised training session focused on orchard management. Facilitated by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in collaboration with AgriGeorgia (Ferrero’s hazelnut company), the two-day educational workshops were conducted in Zugdidi and Telavi. The initiative was made possible through the support of the European Union (EU) and the Sweden-funded ENPARD IV Programme.
The primary goal of the training module was to empower Georgian hazelnut producers with the essential skills and knowledge to implement safer hazelnut production and processing practices. Led by the International FAO Expert on Hazelnut Production Matteo Giaccone, the educational meetings were attended by 130 food business operators and primary producers from Georgia’s hazelnut sector. The training topics included:
- Sustainable hazelnut orchard management;
- Integrated pest management;
- Orchard floor management and mechanisation;
- Organic and regenerative hazelnut production.
“Hazelnut production represents one of the most important sectors of Georgia’s agriculture industry and a considerable source of livelihood for many farmers, including small-scale ones. Through the support of the EU and Sweden, under ENPARD IV, FAO has fruitfully delivered food safety-related training opportunities for the hazelnut sector in partnership with AgriGeorgia. Advancing production and processing of hazelnuts by adopting improved practices and modern technology is essential for increased competitiveness on international markets but also to offer a better product for national consumers. This in turn, brings major economic benefits for Georgian producers, especially at the regional level,” says Guido Agostinucci, FAO Programme Manager.
“FAO’s initiative to support the hazelnut sector through knowledge-sharing on the newest techniques in sustainable orchard management is certainly a step forward in bringing Georgian producers closer to the best practices in their fields of expertise. Implementing modern hazelnut orchard sustainable management principles is not only important for increased efficiency and productivity, but it also contributes to farmers’ increased compliance for exporting their products to the EU,” says Denis Reiss, Programme Officer for Sustainable Food Systems at the Delegation of the European Union to Georgia.
Within the ENPARD IV Programme funded by the European Union and Sweden, FAO will continue actively supporting the hazelnut sector to foster economic growth, resilience, and improved food safety practices. Georgian hazelnut producers will have the opportunity to partake in specialised training sessions this summer focusing on optimal post-harvest techniques. During this period, FAO is also planning to foster ties between hazelnut farmers and the importers of modern agricultural machinery, allowing for more efficiency, productivity, and food safety.
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About the European Union
For more than 30 years, the European Union has built a close partnership with Georgia, supporting its development through knowledge and experience sharing, expertise, innovation and financial support. The relationship between the EU and the citizens of Georgia is based on shared values of peace, freedom, democracy, human rights and inclusive economic growth. More about the EU’s support in Georgiahttps://eu4georgia.eu/the-european-union-in-georgia/
About ENPARD
The European Union supports rural development in Georgia through its ENPARD Programme. Aiming to reduce rural poverty, ENPARD has been implemented since 2013. The Programme started by supporting the development of national agricultural potential. Subsequently, it also concentrated on creating economic opportunities for rural populations in Georgia. Since 2021, the Programme has also been working on improving food safety in the country, with additional support from Sweden and with FAO and the Czech Development Agency as the main implementers of this food safety component under ENPARD IV.