Framework Agreement has been signed between Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and Georgia to support the Development of Irrigated Agriculture in Georgia by allocating 70 million Euros for implementation of the Policy and Infrastructure Components.

The Agreement was signed by H.E. Lasha Khutsishvili, Minister of Finance of Georgia; H.E. Sheraz Gasri, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of France to Georgia and Fanny Delpey, Head of AFD Tbilisi Office for the South Caucasus.

Signing Ceremony was attended by Ekaterine Guntsadze, Deputy Minister of Finance of Georgia and Nino Tandilashvili, First Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia.

The overall objectives of Infrastructure component (35 mln EUR) are:
• Modernization of the Zemo Samgori irrigation system;
• To increase the resource-efficient production of quality agricultural produce;
• Increasing availability and access to food by local populations and increasing the competitiveness of Georgian produce on regional markets;
• To enable irrigation system more resilient towards Climate Change challenges.
Budget Support Program 35 mln EUR) envisages the following:
• Enhancing governance and management controls to increase accountability, transparency and efficiency; and sustainability of irrigation system, in face of climate change;
• Enhancing legal and institutional framework to achieve irrigation policy outcomes and ensure a sustainable management of water resources that includes climate change impacts.
• Improvement corporate governance and risk management at Georgian Melioration LLC.
Program is implemented by the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia (MEPA) together with the Georgian Melioration LLC.