With the initiative of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia the State Program of Co-financing agricultural machinery throughout the country is being implemented. The Program aims at enhancing access to the funds necessary for procurement of agricultural machinery via co-financing of the government. The Program is implemented by Projects Managements Agency of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia and its first stage has already been completed.

Within the Program the amount of co-financing of the Agency for a single beneficiary shall be 50% of the cost of the agricultural machinery to be procured, but not more than GEL 150,000.

A natural person with Georgian citizenship, sole proprietor, or commercial entity registered in accordance with the law, including agricultural cooperative in which the government does not have shares/ stocks could participate into the Program.

This is a pilot program. Submission of applications for participation in the Program started on March 28-th and ended on April 5-th.

According to the first stage of the program:104 beneficiaries have received co-financing from the government, the grants amounted to GEL 854,214.19. Applications of 178 beneficiaries due to incomplete and/or deficient documentation have been rejected, 399 beneficiaries who have not received assistance at the first stage of the program are waiting for their turn.

The Ministry of Environment Protection and Agriculture of Georgia states that at the second stage of the Program, the applications of the beneficiaries registered at the first stage, and having satisfied all the conditions specified under the Program, but could not have participated in the Program shall be considered first.

The Program of Co-financing Procurement of Agricultural Machinery is implemented within the United AgroProject, with long term development prospects and aims at creating the environment which will facilitate enhancement of competitiveness in agricultural sector, consistent growth of production of high quality products, introduction of international standards of food safety.