Page 54 - GEORptSep20

Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia and CEO of Chocolats Camille Bloch, Daniel Bloch—the son of Camille Bloch who founded the company in 1926—reportedly discussed details of the project on January 23 at a meeting on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Hazelnuts represent Georgia’s largest agricultural export by value and support the livelihoods of more than 50,000 growers and processors.
Bloch already has a registered company in Georgia and has identified a 561-hectare land asset in Lagodekhi municipality, eastern Georgia.
The company aims to cultivate hazelnuts using new technology to raise productivity.
It is planning to employ around 40 people in its project.
Chocolats Camille Bloch produces 3,700 tonnes of chocolate per year. The annual revenue of the company stands at more than $45mn.
Gazelle Fund, an investment fund dedicated to high-growth, small and medium sized enterprises in the Eurasia Region, has invested $1.1mn in NUTSGE—the leading locally-owned processor and exporter of hazelnuts in Georgia.
The hazelnut industry is a strategically important agribusiness sector for Georgia. The country is the fourth largest producer of hazelnuts in the world.
9.1.8 ​TMT sector news
Revised bill in Georgia raises media freedom concerns
Georgia’s parliament has ​endorsed​ ​controversial amendments to the Law on Electronic Communications that, among other things, allow the Georgian National Communications Commission (GNCC) to appoint “special managers” to telecommunication companies if a penalty or fine set for a certain violation fails to ensure the enforcement of a Commission decision.
The special manager would be appointed until the relevant company complied with the Commission’s decision.
Most broadcasters operating in Georgia are at the same time authorised persons in the field of electronic communications and this provision will apply directly to them, the Georgia Young Lawyers Association (GYLA) stressed in ​a press release​ o​ n the topic.
The revised law would allow the Commission to appoint special managers to these broadcasters, make management decisions "and intervene in editorial decisions", GYLA warned.
According to the initial draft of the revised law, in the case of the suspension or revocation of the broadcaster's licence, this decision would take effect immediately and, until the court issued a decision to suspend it, the broadcaster would have to suspend its activities, something which would cause significant damage to its activities, GYLA commented.
However, this last provision—in fact, an amendment to the Law on Broadcasting debated concomitantly—was dropped by those who drafted the bill.
GYLA also criticised the fact that the bill has not been subject to a mandatory regulatory impact assessment.
Those behind the amendments argued that immediate consideration of the bill "is necessary to ensure state and public safety." The amendments were passed several weeks after an opposition TV channel came under investigation for allegedly misinforming the population about actions of the authorities in relation to the response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
According to the final version of the amendments to the Law on Electronic
54​ GEORGIA Country Report ​September 2020 ​ ​www.intellinews.com