EU and FAO support Georgian winemakers with international expertise
20 grapevine producers participated in training held at several locations in Kakheti, a traditional winemaking region of Georgia. The international expert , Julio Prieto, specialized on phytosanitary problems of grapevine from the Ministry of Agriculture of Spain conducted these trainings with the support of the European Union and FAO in the framework of the EU4Business programme.
On the trainings, Mr. Prieto, covered the entire vineyard cultivation process and the complete cycle of grapevine production from growing saplings to harvesting grapes. The learning sessions included such topics as general management of various types of vineyards, planning of pruning, fertilization, as well as irrigation, organic grapevine production and Integrated Pest Management.
The issue of pest management was the most interesting for all winegrowers. As the pest Lobesia botrana, also known as European grape worm, is a very common problem for all the locals. The expert specifically focused on biological pest control through the means of mating disruption pheromones. This method has already been tested in the region, with poor results due to the lack of the technical guidance.
„It was very interesting to hear about the Spanish and international experience in addressing the challenges with the vine worms. These training sessions were very informative, even the most experienced winegrowers learned a lot and for the newcomers it provided crucial knowledge to avoid many problems,” Giorgi Rukhadze, owner of George Grey Winery, who participated in the training, stated.
“We acknowledge the great importance of grapevines for Georgia, both economically and traditionally. EU and FAO stay committed to support agricultural wine producers in Georgia to make the agriculture sector more competitive, profitable and more resilient to new challenges,” said Javier Sanz Alvarez, EU-FAO Programme Coordinator.
EU Innovative Action for Private Sector Competitiveness in Georgia is a joint initiative of the European Union and four UN Agencies, which was launched in 2019 with a budget of EUR 5 million. The project aims at enhancing entrepreneurship and business sophistication by strengthening the capacities of government and local entities to develop and operate clusters and supporting companies directly with strategic investments and better connections to diaspora groups, while also demonstrating the effectiveness of these strategies to businesses.
Contact information:
Teimuraz Kighuradze; FAO Communication Consultant; (+995) 593 76 76 60; teimuraz.kighuradze@fao.org