Davit Songulashvili, Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, met with Dr. Holger Kray, the World Bank’s Agriculture and Food Practice Manager for Europe and Central Asia.
The parties addressed ways to strengthen collaboration in irrigation development and sustainable land management. The special emphasis was set on climate-smart agriculture, including boosting farmers' access to modern technology and equipment and reducing agricultural hazards caused by global warming.
“ Several key initiatives are being implemented in Georgia with the support of the World Bank, contributing to the sustainable agricultural development. We follow the Agriculture and Rural Development Strategy and the Action Plan; thus, the World Bank's cooperation and involvement is vital for their execution, specifically the sharing of cutting-edge technologies,” stated Songulashvili.
Mr.Holger Kray thanked the Minister for the fruitful cooperation, noting that the World Bank is ready to implement new projects in Georgia.
“ Climate-smart agriculture initiatives will be more efficiently implemented since environmental protection and agricultural development are merged under one Ministry in Georgia,” Mr. Holger Kray noted.
It is worth mentioning that the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture is implementing the Georgia Resilient Agriculture, Irrigation and Land (GRAIL) project with the support of the World Bank, with a total project cost of USD 150 million.
The mentioned initiative will improve irrigation and drainage services for farmers, agricultural productivity, and institutional capacity for national irrigation and land management.
The representatives of the relevant departments of the World Bank and the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture attended the meeting.
