Purpose of Small Grants: The objective of this support package is to improve post-harvest food safety in the hazelnut value chain by addressing the aflatoxin development risk identified due to poor post-harvest practices and lack of equipment. It is expected that the project activities will positively impact the food safety of Georgian hazelnuts and ensure higher compliance with national food safety regulations.

Priority Program Areas: FAO support under this support package of ENPARD IV envisages the provision of matching grants to small and medium-sized hazelnut producers in the five main hazelnut-growing regions of Georgia, namely Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti, Guria, Kakheti, Adjara and Imereti. The grant scheme prioritizes hazelnut producers from the target municipalities who have attended hazelnut food safety training organized by FAO and its partner organizations. Additional training sessions may be organized as the support package is implemented.

Eligible Applicants
The target beneficiaries under this activity are small and medium-sized hazelnut producers active in hazelnut production in the targeted regions and holding a legal status, who have attended the following hazelnut food safety trainings organized by FAO and its partner organizations:

1. Hazelnut harvest and post-harvest operations
2. Hazelnut processing and aflatoxin prevention
3. Safe and Effective Use of Pesticides – Hazelnut Producer
4. Management of Hazelnut Orchards
5. Hazelnut trainings conducted by the Georgian Hazelnut Growers Association
6. Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

Also, in order to be eligible for the grant an applicant must:

• Hold one of the three legal statuses: Individual entrepreneur, LLC or Cooperative
• Own or manage between 0.5 and 30 hectares of hazelnut orchard(s) in the eligible regions (The property must not be under seizure).
• To accommodate the financed equipment, the beneficiary must own or provide a valid rental agreement for an appropriate covered area/space/building that is technically suitable and equipped with a 3-phase electricity supply (400V). Submission of relevant photo materials is also mandatory.
• Applicants must not be bankrupted, liquidated, nor have their affairs administered by the court.
• Applicants should not have any ongoing dispute with the Revenue Service, National Bureau of Enforcement, or other respective government bodies.
• A field visit will be conducted for all applicants who satisfy the qualification requirements by FAO’s monitoring team, in order to assess the relevance of the proposed investment and its compliance with the project objectives. In addition, the inventory and equipment requested within the grant framework must correspond to the scale, capacities, and needs of the applicant’s enterprise (under ownership). This requirement aims to ensure the rational and efficient use of grant resources and to maximize the sustainability of the supported investments. The results of the field visit and technical assessment will determine the final funding decision.
• Applicants who have already received matching grants under ENPARD IV may apply again only if their initial grants are fully and successfully implemented (including the processing of the last due payment to the supplier), and no breach of the first grant agreement has been identified. However, the sum of all grants awarded to a single beneficiary under the program must not exceed the maximum cumulated ceiling of USD 50,000. Additionally, it should be considered that applicants cannot submit an application for the equipment that they have already received under the previous grant scheme.
• Applicants who were financed for conveyor belts within the previous grant competition will not be able to apply for vertical elevators.

Eligible investments
Under the current grant cycle, the applicants will be asked to apply for one or more of the following equipment from selected suppliers:

• Vertical hazelnut dryers, multiple capacities
• Conveyor Belts and/or Vertical Elevators for Loading and Unloading
• Destoners (Stone and Heavy Impurity Separator)
• Hazelnut Cleaning Tables

For equipment where more than 1 option is available, applicants are asked to select only one.

Please carefully review the model specifications and detailed information before selecting the specific equipment. Note that each hazelnut dryer listed is matched with a corresponding conveyor belt / vertical elevator (indicated alongside the model). If the applicant decides to purchase a conveyor belt of a different model, he/she will be solely responsible for ensuring the compatibility and usability of the equipment.

Contact Information of the suppliers:

Company: Partsarea LLC
Temur Tsutskiridze–tt@farmarea.ge – M (+995) 598 884 433
Neli Tchikadze –logistics@farmarea.ge   – M (+995) 597 73 11 10

Company: I/E Zurab Markozia
Giorgi Chilaia – gia131@gmail.com  – (+995) 568 68 43 43
Zurab Markozia – geomark2004@gmail.com –  – (+995) 592 33 31 00

Company: LLC Tegeta Construction Equipment
Giorgi Mardaleishvili – G.Mardaleishvili@tce.ge  – M (+995) 595 12 93 56

Cost Sharing or Matching

A matching grant represents 70% of the total investment and is provided in support of the 30% matching contribution to be paid by the grant recipient (applicant). In case 70% of the value of the equipment selected by the applicant exceeds USD 50,000, the applicant will be required to cover the difference at their own expense.

The applicant is expected to fill an application form on the online grant management platform available here: https://enpard-grant.smapply.io/prog/472_support_package_for_small_and_medium-sized_hazelnut_producers

When connecting to the platform, the applicant will be asked to create an account with his/her email address and a password. Once logged in, s/he will be able to officially apply to the grant competition, s/he will have to describe the project, select the equipment for which a matching grant is requested, and attach all supporting documents.

Please note that the funding of applications will be carried out on a first-come, first-served basis, until the budget is exhausted.

Content of Application
A list of supporting documents is requested from applicants, depending on the legal status:

For companies/ SMEs:

• Copy of passport or national ID of the director/ chairperson
• Legal Registration certificate from the “National Agency of Public Registry” (Companies must be registered at least 6 months before application submission)
• Land ownership certificate or lease agreement for the orchard considered in the application
• Reference from the “Revenue Services” on non-existence of indebtedness/tax debts.
• Photos/Video materials of the orchard  

Please note that an application for a SME can only come from either the legal representative of the organization or from someone specifically authorized to apply on behalf of the organization through a signed Power of Attorney.

For cooperatives:

• Copy of passport or national ID of the cooperative’s representative
• Registration certificate from the “National Agency of Public registry” (Cooperatives must be registered at least 6 months before application submission)
• Land ownership certificate or lease agreement for the orchard considered in the application
• Photo/Video materials of the orchard

Please note that an application for a cooperative can only come from either the legal representative or from someone specifically authorized to apply on behalf of the cooperative through a signed Power of Attorney.

For individual entrepreneurs:

• Copy of passport or national ID
• Land ownership certificate or lease agreement for the orchard considered in the application
• In cases where the orchard belongs directly to a family member (spouse, child, parent, or sibling), it is necessary to provide a birth certificate(s), marriage certificate, or other document confirming the family relationship
• Registration as an individual entrepreneur (if not registered yet, the applicant will be asked to register to be able to sign the grant agreement).
• Photos/Video materials of the orchard

1/ Eligibility and budget verification: Immediately after the application submission, FAO will review the budget comprised in the application form and the applicant’s eligibility. FAO will also perform pre-screening of the supporting documentation attached to the platform to make sure all documents have been properly submitted. Shall any clarification be needed, FAO will contact the applicant to confirm the application is in line with the program requirements.

Verification field visit: Following the previous stages, FAO may perform a field visit to an applicant (or his/her orchard) to verify the information included in the application.

2/ Technical evaluation and application scoring
Each application will be rated based on the criteria outlined below.

• The application is complete, coherent and informative.
• The proposed investment is adapted to the orchard’s size and activities.
• The premises are suitable for hazelnut production and use of equipment.
• The applicant demonstrates relevant professional background.
• The applicant has a good understanding of food safety risks associated with his/her business.
• The applicant shows high potential to adopt improved food safety practices.
• No conflict of interest or ethical doubts were identified.
• The grant will have a direct impact on hazelnut food safety.

3/ Selection of applications: Following a successful technical revision of the application, the Application Review Committee composed of the ENPARD Programme Manager (Chairperson), FAOGE Operations Specialist (Secretary), and FAOGE International Food Safety Expert, and a representative of the co-implementing partner (CzDA) will take the granting decision. The committee may select, reject, request additional supporting documentation, propose modifications, or add conditions to the approval.

The award decisions of the selection committee will be documented in a minute signed by all four members. The signed minutes will then be shared with FAO project Budget Holder for final approval.

Payment method: If granted, the grantee will be contacted by FAO to prepare a grant agreement to be signed between the grantee and FAO. After signature, the grantee will be asked to pay his/her matching contribution to the selected supplier as per agreed timeline. The equipment will then be delivered to the applicant by the supplier. A field visit may be organized to confirm the delivery of equipment, and FAO will then pay the matching grant directly to the supplier.

Grant manual: you can find detailed information about the entire process at the following link.

Monitoring and evaluation: When receiving the grant, the grantee commits to keep and maintain the entire supported equipment (including spare parts) for at least five years following the agreement signature date. The applicant will also commit to an open-door policy and to facilitate visits to his/her premises upon FAO’s request. Finally, a yearly visit will be organized by FAO to ensure the proper usage of the equipment.

Contact details for additional information:
Mob: +995 599 00 11 86
Mob: +995 599 045 329
Email: FAO-Georgia-Grants@fao.org