Drought in Georgia

In response to the drought in the eastern half of Georgia, the UN, donors and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture have elaborated a programme to address the consequent needs. The programme will provide the necessary post-disaster assistance to resume food production through the distribution of winter wheat seed, fertilizer and agro-chemicals. Approximately 30,000 tons of winter wheat seeds shall be procured to meet the seed requirement for the 100,000 ha of land used for wheat cultivation in east Georgia. The programme will target mainly small-scale farmers who would benefit from high quality crop inputs. The programme will be implemented via a cooperative effort including international and local NGOs, local farmer associations and government authorities.
The Minister of Food and Agriculture and his team were instrumental in elaborating this progarmme. The Ministry alerted donors to the situation, called upon foreign and domestic experts to back up the Ministry's efforts and helped to elaborate the details of the programme including timetables for procurement, import of seeds, transportation, and implementation. It has been a welcome contribution and, as led by the Minister, one that has been professional, constructive, and a welcome basis for continued and future collaboration.

As such, and in light of the suffering caused by the drought, a number of donors expressed a willingness and a readiness at a meeting of donors on 8 September, organized by the UN, to make contributions to the programme. Among those donors are governments of the USA, several European countries, Turkey, and Israel.