Government Program of Georgia for 2019-2020

The Government Program of Georgia for 2019-2020 is multi-sectoral document. It aims to build a democratic state, ensuring the country’s economic development, taking active steps toward the country’s territorial integrity and de-occupation, and Georgia’s full European and Euro-Atlantic integration.
The Program aims to eliminate food insecurity. To this end, it sets out measures concerning active protection of environment and development of agriculture, which aim to ensure a sustainable and healthy environment, improvement of ecology in the environment, improved competitiveness in agro-food sector on the grounds of sustainable development principles, stable growth of high-quality production, food security, food safety and rural development.
In addition, the Program aims to make agriculture and forestry more productive and sustainable. To this end, it aims to find the best use of every natural resource and to thereby ensure the sustainable management of resources on the grounds of environmental protection principles. The document also provides that environmental impact assessment process will be improved, and electronic system of environmental decision-making will be introduced. Establishment of e-governance will make the existing procedures more transparent and will ease the interaction with investors. In addition, engagement of general public in the decision-making process will become more effective. Effective system of environmental responsibility will be established for the prevention and eradication (compensation) of environmental damage. New rules of regulation will be introduced for the protection and maintenance of bio-diversity for the sustainable use of biologic resources. State will ensure the extension of protected areas and promotion of tourism. Sustainable forestry management practice will be introduced and supported through the establishment of the effective mechanisms of forest care, protection and recovery, which will facilitate the maintenance and improvement of qualitative and quantitative forest indicators. Forest control mechanisms will be improved. Transition to the integrated water resource management system will be continued, which is based on the sustainable management of water resources and European principles of basin management. Waste and chemical substance management system will be improved. Various mechanisms will be introduced in line with the applicable EU standards, which will facilitate the prevention of waste generation and re-use of the generated waste. Quality of nuclear and radiation safety will be improved and a new system will be established for the management of radioactive waste, which will ensure the protection of humans and environment from potential harmful impact of radiation.
Further, for reducing rural poverty, the document targets to develop regions in the country, thereby eliminating the inequality, introducing effective and innovative systems of quality service delivery locally, and increasing the role of regions in the economic advancement of the country.
To enable more inclusive and efficient agricultural and food systems, the Program provides that development of cooperatives will be supported in the agro-industrial sector; development of a market system for cattle milk and meat products, reduction of losses, improved food safety and quality, higher competitiveness and productivity, along with an increased sales potential will be supported; with an aim of integrating components creating value added in the full cycle, authorities will facilitate the development of crop warehousing, sorting, packaging, processing and distribution sectors; agriculture insurance project will be continued and increased affordability of agriculture machinery will be facilitated; irrigated land parcels (equipped with water supply and drainage systems) will be increased. Irrigation and drainage systems will be developed and improved. New legal framework will be established to facilitate the introduction of modern decentralized systems of irrigation system management. Namely, associations of water consumers will be established through amalgamation of farmers; degraded soil studies will be performed, along with measures to recover and improve their fertility; legal framework will be created for windshield management and development; windshields will get planted; and modern and flexible system of extension will be established, measures will be continued and extended in support of environmental education and higher public awareness on environment.
In order to increase the resilience of livelihoods to disasters, the Program notes that, for the reduction of threats originating from natural disasters conditioned by the climate change, hydro-meteorological surveillance network will be extended and modelling capacity will be developed; national system of early warning will be introduced.