Mr. Giorgi Khanishvili, First Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, along with Mr. Nugzar Samkharadze, Deputy Governor of Shida Kartli Region, visited Shida Kartli region and was acquainted with the process of harvesting in the gardens planted within the framework of the "Plant the Future" program.

Under the state program "Plant the Future", in the village of Dzevera, Gori Municipality, the company "Agrokartli" planted an apple orchard on 10 hectares in 2017. The company received up to GEL 100,000 in state funding for the cultivation of apple orchard and the installation of an irrigation system. "Agrokartli" expects to harvest up to 200 tons of apples in 2020, they have already exported more than 30 tons of apples. The company employs about 60 locals seasonally.

"An important factor for the Georgian economy is that the owners in the state funded gardens have already received fruits that has been exported to neighboring countries. Today, more than 1000 tons of apples have been exported from Georgia. I think that this year we will have great success in this direction, as well as in other cultures, "- Mr. Giorgi Khanishvili declared.

According to Mr. Nugzar Samkharadze, Deputy Governor of Shida Kartli Region, the projects implemented by the state in the field of agriculture are important for the region; gardens are being planted, and the harvest from new gardens will be capitalized in profits. This is already visible to the entrepreneur and to the region as a whole.

Across Georgia, the gardens planted within the project "Plant the Future" cover an area of ​​10,000 hectares. In Shida-Kartli region, various orchards have been planted on a total area of ​​2,400; the co-financing amounted to 16 million GEL.

The program "Plant the Future" has been implemented by the Rural Development Agency since 2015. The programs of the Rural Development Agency are designed for long-term development and their goal is to create an environment that will promote sustainable growth in the production of high quality products and the introduction of international food safety standards.