BUSINESS
GEORGIA TODAY APRIL 9 - 11, 2019
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British Writer Andrew Jefford Presents Georgian Wine in Japan
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ndrew Jefford, a well-known British wine writer, held a Georgianwineseminar"Why Georgian Wine Is Important" within the exhibition "Georgia-Homeland of Wine" in Tokyo. Andrew Jefford spoke about the importance of Georgian wine, the varieties of Georgian vines, the appellation of origins of Georgian wines and the varieties characteristic to Georgian regions. The English writer emphasized the importance of Georgian wine, noting that Georgia had introduced a new category: Qvevri wine. The following wines were presented at the seminar attended by Japanese wine experts: "Tsinandali 2016" (Tsinandali Old Estate), "Khikhvi, Qvevri 2017" (Shalvino), "Mtsvane, Qvevri, Iberiuli 2016" (Shumi), "Krakuna, Qvevri, 2015” “Winery Khareba”, “Tavkveri 2016” (Chateau Mukhrani),”Qvevri, Saperavi 2017 "(Teleta / Orgo)," Tamada, Grand Reserve, Red Saperavi 2014 "(GWS).
Andrew Jefford has visited Georgia several times. In his own assessments, he describes Georgian wine as "high quality" and says he considers wine to be the most important product of Georgia. "Who can refuse to taste the wine of the country that is the homeland of wine and has eight thousand years of wine history?" Jefford asks. Jefford 's event was held with the support of the Georgian National Intellectual Property Center "Sakpatenti". The project "Georgia – Homeland of Wine," organized by the National Wine Agency and Association "Georgian Wine" is implemented by Sony Music Communication and the company TOPPAN partnership. The exhibition combines unique archaeological exhibits and modern technologies, the concept of which is based on the uniqueness of Georgian wine culture. Exhibition "Georgia – Homeland of Wine" was opened on March 10 in "Terrada Warehouse" and will last until May 7.
Georgia Harnesses European Expertise in Rural Development
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eading experts and policymakers from Georgia and European Union (EU) member states gathered in Tbilisi on 8 April to take part in the international conference “Rural Development Policy 2020+. Translating European practice into Georgian reality”. With a focus on rural development policy and practice, the Conference aims to assist the Government of Georgia in developing its second national sevenyear Rural Development Strategy. The Conference was opened by the President of Georgia Salome Zurabishvili. Levan Davitashvili, Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia, addressed the participants of the event with welcome remarks. “Georgia has made notable progress since 2016 when the country’s first Rural Development Strategy was adopted,” Davitashvili said. “The Government of Georgia has introduced a new vision of rural development grounded on the best EU practices in this field. In the next seven years, we will focus on promoting local entrepreneurship and employment and increasing people’s engagement in the rural development process.” "We are proud to be part of Georgia's progress in rural development and look forward to continuing working together with all key ministries to improve employment and living conditions of the rural population in Georgia. European experience implemented in Georgia has dem-
onstrated the benefits of a bottom-up approach in rural areas, empowering local people to take the development of their communities into their own hands," Carl Hartzell, Ambassador of the European Union to Georgia, said. “Rural development can help unlock the biggest socio-economic challenge facing Georgia, namely that farmers make up 43% of the workforce yet produce just 8% of the GDP,” noted Louisa Vinton, Head of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Georgia. “The new strategy will aim to narrow this gap by helping to make Georgia’s farms more professional and competitive, creating new non-farm jobs in rural areas and improving living conditions for rural communities.” The Rural Development Conference 2019 was attended by officials and experts from EU Member States, including Markus Hopfner, Deputy Director General of the Federal Ministry of Sustainability and Tourism of the Republic of Austria; and Dr. Lászlo Sandor Vajda, Former Chief Negotiator for EU accession on behalf of the Ministry of Agriculture of Hungary. The discussions at the Conference focused on rural development policies and institutional arrangements, as well as on the ways of adapting successful European practices to Georgia’s realities. The Rural Development Conference 2019 was organized by the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia with the assistance of
the EU in cooperation with UNDP. The Conference is part of the EUR 179.5 million in EU assistance that Georgia is set
to receive under the ENPARD program between 2013 and 2022. This support aims to promote rural development
policies and create economic opportunities for the rural population outside of agriculture.