Agricultural input subsidy programs are meant to increase crop production, contributing in this way to improved food security and rise of incomes of stallholder farmers. An important goal of such programs is to develop efficient input supply systems, improving farmers’ access to inputs and adoption of new technologies (e.g., use of new seed varieties, fertilizers, and pesticides).

It is a well-known fact that nearly a half of the Georgian population is involved in agriculture, while Georgia imports around 60% of all the food it consumes. High food import share and food security are important issues for Georgia, widely discussed among the policymakers and in the media. One issue that remains largely in the shadows of public attention is Georgia’s struggle with nutritional deficiencies and unhealthy, undiversified diets.

On March 1-2 APRC’s Senior Researcher Salome Gelashvili attended a regional learning workshop on Food Security and Nutrition organized by OXFAM in Dilijan, Armenia. The overall objective of the workshop was to improve the food security and nutrition policies in the South Caucasus region.

Soon the Georgian Parliament will be discussing a small but important change, which will affect something as significant and vital as bread, along with pasta, khachapuri, and anything made with wheat flour. The Georgian legislators will be considering a law, according to which flour fortification will become mandatory in Georgia.

On December 29, 2015, APRC representatives attended a presentation of the strategy on Food Security (FS) prepared by the working group on food security chaired by the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) with the support of OXFAM.