The Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture opened a coordination center promoting the sale of non-standard apples in Gori. Otar Shamugia held a working meeting at the coordination headquarters. Simon Guledani, Deputy state representative of Shida Kartli, Vladimir Khinchegashvili, Mayor of Gori, representatives of apple processing companies, and local youth employed in the coordination headquarters attended the meeting.

“We have been assisting farmers in different ways for many years, including harvesting apples, which has already begun. We will subsidize apples that cannot be sold on the market this year, as we did last year, following the Government’s decision. Last year, around 70 000 non-standard apples were processed within the scope of this program, and farmers received an income of approximately GEL twenty million as a result. It is essential that they have additional income from non-standard apples”, - said Otar Shamugia.

According to Simon Guledani, the coordination group in Gori has already started working to ensure the organized delivery of non-standard apples in the coming months. The mentioned program will make it easier for farmers to sell their products.

Within the state program, the Rural Development Agency will subsidize 10 tetri per kg of non-standard apples. The state will subsidize the fruit processing companies that buy kg of non-standard apples from farmers for at least 24 tetri by December 15. The state program will engage around 20 companies across Georgia. The apple crop is projected to reach 120 000 tonnes this year. As part of the state program, it is planned to process 50 000 tonnes of non-standard apples.