The Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, David Songulashvili, met with senior representatives of Italy’s agricultural and agri-food sectors, including the leadership of Coldiretti and Filiera Italia.

During the meeting, the parties discussed opportunities to deepen cooperation between Georgia and Italy in the agri-food sector, with particular attention to modernizing agriculture, developing integrated value chains encompassing production, processing, and marketing, and strengthening direct business ties between the two countries' private sectors.

“Georgia considers Italy and Italian agribusinesses as important partners.

We are particularly interested in Italy’s experience in connecting producers, processors and markets.

We seek to strengthen cooperation in processing, technology, investment and the development of high-value-added products, while facilitating the establishment of direct business links between Georgian and Italian companies”, - said David Songulashvili.

The parties discussed a proposal to establish a practical framework for agri-food business cooperation between Georgia and Italy. The initiative aims to identify priority areas for collaboration, potential partner companies, and facilitate the implementation of concrete business projects. Moreover, the discussion included exchanging business information and organising visits by Italian companies to Georgia, which would strengthen business ties and deepen bilateral cooperation further.

The Deputy Minister, Lasha Dolidze, Ambassador of Georgia to the Italian Republic, Tamuna Liluashvili, and Director of the Rural Development Agency, Zurab Gozalishvili, accompanied Minister Songulashvili at the meeting. The Italian delegation included Luigi Scordamaglia, Chief Executive Officer of Filiera Italia and Head of Coldiretti’s Markets, Internationalization and EU Policies Area; Stefano Masini, Head of Environment and Territory at Coldiretti; Ms Francesca Alfano, Head of Coldiretti’s Internationalization and Food Policy Unit; and Carmelo Troccoli, Director General of the World Farmers Markets Coalition.