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Otar Shamugia: "The use of high-quality seed and planting material will contribute to the improvement of food security indicators"

"In order to promote the development of the value chain in agriculture, scientific and research activities are actively underway. It should be noted that within the framework of harmonization of seed and planting material certification systems with international standards, a unified register of qualified seed and nursery farms (database software) was created. In 2022, the quantity of certified seed material amounted to 1,400 tons and the number of certified planting material amounted to 1.3 million seedlings", said the Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, Otar Shamugia, during his speech in the Parliament in the "Minister's Hour" format.

As the minister noted, a well-organized system of seed and planting material certification provides the consumer with quality material, which is an important basis for increasing yield and export potential, raising competitiveness and attracting investments.

The process of certification of seeds and planting material in Georgia has been carried out since 2015 by the Scientific-Research Center of Agriculture of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture. Within the framework of the fulfillment of the obligations assumed by the Association Agreement of Georgia with Europe, seeds and planting material will be subject to mandatory certification in 2024.