Representatives of Zestaponi self-government and farmers got acquainted with the state program "Access to state-owned pastures"
The National Agency for Sustainable Land Management and Land Use Monitoring informed representatives of self-governments and local farmers about the importance of implementation of the state program "Access to state-owned pastures" and the terms for participation.
At the meeting held in Zestafoni Municipality, Giorgi Zakaidze, the head of the Strategic Development Department of the National Agency for Sustainable Land Management and Land Use Monitoring, explained the specifics of the program and noted that by following the procedures aligned with the program’s requirements, farmers in the mentioned municipality can access and utilize pastures registered under state ownership.
The state program was approved by the Government of Georgia on October 6, 2021. The program provides an opportunity for farmers who own cattle and/or small cattle to acquire pasture through an auction and use it within the framework of a three-year lease agreement.
To safeguard pastures against overgrazing, the program incorporates a protective mechanism in the form of a limit load norm for each head of cattle. This norm dictates a designated range of pasture area, specifically, a minimum of 1 hectare and a maximum of 1.5 hectares for one head of cattle, and/or a minimum of 0.2 hectares and a maximum of 0.5 hectares for one head of small cattle.
As of today, data for the leasing of 362 pasture units through auction has been published in four stages. Currently, 129 of these units are available and accepting applications.
Detailed information is posted on the websites of the National Agency for Sustainable Land Management and Land Use Monitoring and the Ministry of Environment Protection and Agriculture of Georgia (www.land.gov.ge; www.mepa.gov.ge), as well as on the agency's official Facebook page.
