The grape harvest started early in the Georgian wine region of Kakheti after heavy hail and wind destroyed 4,600 ha of vineyards in about 30 villages last week.
Farmers are picking hail-damaged grapes in the towns of Kvareli, Gurjaani, Lagodekhi and Telavi in Kakheti.
So far about 1,200 tons of grape has already been processed.
The government of Georgia will pay 3,000 GEL per hectare of vineyard to a farmer whose grapes have been completely destroyed.
“This will be a one-time assistance to help farmers restore their vineyards and start production again”, said Agriculture Minister Levan Davitashvili.
In addition, the state is paying 80 tetri for 1 kg of the Rkatsiteli grape variety and 1 GEL for Saperavi.
Davitashvili said that farmers whose orchards had been destroyed would also receive “some help”.
“It is also important for us to replace the destroyed orchards, where it will not be possible to harvest in the coming years, and for this purpose, within the program “Plant the Future”, the gardens will be restored, the seedlings will be fully co-financed and the irrigation system will be also co-financed”, said Davitashvili.
The wine harvest generally begins in September in Georgia’s winemaking regions of Kakheti, Imereti and Racha. (Agenda/Business World Magazine)
