“Sheep Farming Is a Traditional Sector with Significant Potential for Our Country” – Davit Songulashvili

Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture Davit Songulashvili attended a folk festival celebrating sheep farmers in Ninotsminda Municipality, in the Samtskhe-Javakheti region. During the event, the Minister met with local sheep farmers and learned about the challenges and needs they face in their work.

The discussions covered opportunities for developing the sheep farming sector, animal health and veterinary services, the efficient use of pastures, and prospects for production and product sales. The Minister also introduced the farmers to state agricultural support programmes, including the new State Agricultural Co-financing Programme.

“Sheep farming is a traditional and important sector for our country, with considerable potential for both domestic production and exports. It is important for us to hear directly from farmers about their needs and the challenges they face in their daily work. Direct communication with farmers enables us to tailor state support mechanisms to their actual needs.

“The new State Agricultural Co-financing Programme is based on this approach and aims to create more flexible, results-oriented support mechanisms for farmers. Our goal is to strengthen domestic production, promote the development of sheep farming, and provide farmers with greater opportunities to expand and develop their farms,” Davit Songulashvili said.

The folk festival celebrating sheep farmers has been held at Kechalgora in Ninotsminda since 2014.

The Minister was accompanied in Ninotsminda by Deputy Ministers Giorgi Tskrialashvili and Lasha Avaliani, Head of the National Food Agency Giorgi Iakobashvili, and representatives of the local authorities.