Meetings with farmers have commenced under the State Program “Access to State-Owned Pastures"
The new State Program “Access to State-Owned Pastures”, approved by the Government of Georgia at the beginning of October this year, will allow cattle and small livestock farmers to bid for their preferred pastures and secure a three-year lease agreement. This initiative establishes legitimate private responsibility for pastures, aiming to ensure their rational use, protect them from degradation, and concurrently support the development of animal husbandry.
The National Agency for Sustainable Land Management and Land Use Monitoring, tasked with implementing the program, has begun meetings with its beneficiaries. The opening session was held with sheep farmers in Kvemo Alvan village, Akhmeta municipality. Giorgi Misheladze, the Chairman of the Agency, offered the farmers a comprehensive overview of the program and responded to their questions.
"Within the framework of the program, for the first time, an open auction is being conducted exclusively for livestock owners, affording them a better opportunity to acquire pastureland at a fair price," stated Giorgi Misheladze during the meeting with the farmers.
Farmers must document the number and health of their livestock, using information from the National Food Agency. Conducting auctions in this way helps eliminate the harmful practice of sub-leasing pastures, which previously caused significant increases in pasture prices.
“I believe farmers should have the chance to use pasture for an extended period, which would allow them to invest in its improvement. This program represents the first significant advancement in regulating the pasture related issues, but there will undoubtedly be many aspects to refine and enhance moving forward," remarked Beka Gonashvili, chairman of the Association of Georgian Shepherds.
The information campaign, part of the program's framework, will continue into the future, involving ongoing meetings with local authorities and farmers in various municipalities.
