Page 45 - GEORptAug19

include 6 bridges and 5 tunnels, the longest stretching over 9 km.
The width of the 9-km long Kvesheti-Kobi tunnel will be 15 m, a size that is rather rare not only in Transcaucasia but throughout the world. A 500m arch bridge will also be constructed on the route.
9.1.6 Agriculture sector news
Azerbaijan’s Food Safety Agency said it returned 400 tonnes of potatoes and kiwis back to Iran and Georgia over pest fears, according to Trend News Agency on July 9.
Growing exports from Iran to Caucasian countries are getting a mixed reception, with some exports not meeting quarantine and hygiene levels.
In the report, FSA said, “[the] Agency has returned 400 tonnes of potatoes and kiwis to Iran and Georgia due to the danger of the spread of pests that are subject to quarantine measures.”
The chairman of the organisation Goshgar Tahmazli said at the anniversary of the organisation’s first anniversary that it is increasing its oversight of imports from neighbouring countries.
The head of the agency noted that 255 tonnes of products were destroyed, and 838 tonnes of foodstuffs were neutralised and cleaned by various methods.
The Azeri report follows that of a similar return from neighbouring Dagestan, where which reported Iranian and Azeri produce being returned to senders. The Rosselkhoznadzor Office Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance in the Republic of Dagestan reportedly said both Iranian and Azerbaijani products had arrived without proper import documentation were returned to the exporters due to quarantine issues.
Some 119,000 tonnes of tomatoes, 108,000 tonnes of sweet cherries and 11.73 tonnes of bell peppers were sent back over the border in one episode.
The US Department of Agriculture is to award a $10mn grant under the five-year Food and Progress programme to improve food safety and quality from ‘farm to fork’ in Georgia’s dairy and beef production chains, Agenda.ge reported .
Under the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (DCFTA) with the European Union, Georgia’s farmers can sell products on the European market—but at the same time they face competition from foreign producers on the local market. An upward trend in milk production in Georgia started in 2015 thanks to assistance from the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). The production of high-quality milk in Georgia more than doubled between 2015 and 2018, the fifth dairy congress in Tbilisi announced earlier this year.
The goals of the project are to increase agricultural productivity and expand trade among more than 54,000 direct programme participants, primarily along the East-West Highway corridor.
By reducing losses and boosting productivity, the project aims to help Georgian farmers access additional markets for dairy and beef products.
9.1.7 TMT sector news
The World Bank, in collaboration with the Georgian economy ministry, will develop a National Innovation Ecosystem in the country in order to foster the digital economy and innovative start-ups. The World Bank will
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