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CNFA Board of Directors Delegation Visits Georgia
TBILISI, Georgia—The Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture (CNFA) Board of Directors is embarking on a six-day visit to Georgia to experience firsthand some of the work being implemented by CNFA-supported projects, meet with high-level Georgian officials, and participate in a conference celebrating the organization’s 10-year anniversary of working in the country.
The six-member Board of Directors delegation, including CNFA President and CEO Sylvain Roy, former CNFA President and CEO John H. Costello, former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture A. Michael Espy, Principal of Elin Miller Consulting, LLC Elin Miller, former Archer Daniels Midland Company Senior Vice President Richard P. Reising, and Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP Senior Policy Advisor Devry Boughner Vorwerk, is led by former Georgian Minister of Agriculture and current CNFA Board of Director Davit Kirvalidze.
During their visit, the CNFA Board of Directors will visit several Farm Service Centers (FSCs)/Machinery Service Centers (MSCs), including AgroKartli Ltd., I/E Ambrosi Matcharshvili, and AgroService Ltd. Over the past 10 years, CNFA has helped create an extensive FSC/MSC network across Georgia, providing access to high-quality agricultural inputs and mechanization services to smallholder farmers. They will get to tour and taste the products of AromaProduct, an exporter of high-quality natural juices, jams and preserves, dried spices, and other boutique products to Europe, Asia, and Australia. On June 6, CNFA will host a conference and grantee fair featuring remarks from the Prime Minister of Georgia, Giorgi Kvirikashvili, and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)/Georgia acting mission director, Thomas Morris.
Since 2006, CNFA has led or been involved with eight projects in Georgia, three of which are currently ongoing. These projects, as a result of U.S. Government assistance through USAID and MCC and in partnership with the Government of Georgia, have supported more than 430 agribusinesses, created over 3,500 jobs, generated $51 million in new gross sales and trained more than 140,000 individuals.
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