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Project for the introduction of the certification of planting materials begins

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia together with the Scientific-Research center of Agriculture, are launching a project for implementing certification system of agricultural research and supporting the EU. The project focuses on two main directions - improvement of the certification system and legislative base and strengthening the nursery capabilities, including promoting the establishment of seedlings producers and conducting trainings for nurseries.

The specialists of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the Scientific-Research Center have held a meeting with the representatives of the nursery farms to study the state of nursery farms and take into account their demands. The sides talked about the steps taken in the field of certification and the planned activities. The representatives of the nurseries focused on the gaps in the process and their demands.

The meeting was attended by Levan Ujmajuridze, Director of the Scientific-Research center of Agriculture, by the European Neighborhood Program of European Agriculture and Rural Development (ENPARD), UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), representatives of Project Management Agency and European experts.

It is noteworthy that the qualification of nursery farming, which is the prerequisite for certification of material, began in 2017. The representatives of the Division of Standardization, Certification, Planning and Economic Analysis of the Scientific-Research Center of Agriculture, as a result of field inspection, have been granted 85 nurseries with the status of qualified nursery across the country. In determining the qualification of the nursery, the Evaluation Commission is guided by the internationally recognized standards of the nursery request. The process of voluntary certification of the planting material started this year. The process is conducted by the Scientific-Research Center of Agriculture.

The certification process of the planting materials is regulated by the law on "Access and Maturity for Distribution of Agricultural Cultures of Subordinate Certification." The law entered into force on June 1, 2017 and regulates relations related to the production, reproduction, processing, certification, realization, traceability and localization and the relationship between the imported and local seeds and planting material as well.