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hundreds of local farmers and further build-out is local workforce.
“By investing in NUTSGE, one of the leading hazelnut processing companies and exporters of value-add agriculture products in Georgia, Gazelle Finance is strengthening Georgia’s position in the global nut market”, said CIO of Gazelle Finance, Natia Janelidze.
“This year is a critical rebound year for the Geogian hazelnut industry, following two difficult years of stink bug infestation,” said director of NUTSGE Mamuka Beriashvili. “The funds from Gazelle Finance come at a critical time for our company, and will enable us to rapidly build market share in the premium hazelnut market segment”.
The NUTSGE processing plant is located in Samegrelo in one of the historically productive regions for hazelnut plantations in Georgia. It has the highest rate of harvesting (almost half of the whole country’s harvest) and the highest concentration of endemic varietals, including Anakliuri, Ucha, Nemsa and Kharistvala. NUTSGE is also actively sourcing in the Kakheti region, which enhances diversification of its supply chain.
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
A cyberattack hit several servers in Georgia including those of Proservice, impacting 2,000 websites in the country including those of the president, the courts, several mayors’ offices and three television channels on October 28, according to local press reports.
The hacker took over the sites and displayed a photo of former president Mikheil Saakashvili with the words, in English, “I’ll be back.” Self-exiled Saakashvili left the country in 2013 after his United National Movement (UNM) party lost elections in 2012 and he was barred by the Constitution from pursuing another presidential term. He is now wanted on what he calls politically motivated charges. Georgia will hold a general election next year. Public support for the ruling Georgian Dream party, led by billionaire oligarch and ex-PM Bidzina Ivanishvili, is weakening, opening the door for a change in regime.
“Today, October 28, one of the largest cyberattacks on the cyberspace of Georgia took place at dawn. One of the targets of the attack is a server owned by Proservice, which houses websites of state agencies, the private sector and
53​ GEORGIA Country Report​ December 2019 ​ ​www.intellinews.com