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.