With a continuously growing supply chain and a market that is increasingly part of the international context, Georgia presents itself on the global scene as a country with considerable potential. Speaking exclusively for Italian Berry was Nikoloz Didebashvili, co-founder of the Georgian service company BlueGarden.
How can we identify BlueGarden in the Georgian context?
Blue Garden manages and develops various agricultural projects in line with specific customer needs. Blue Garden is therefore a multi-profile company and service provider, the only one in the Georgian agribusiness sector, which solves existing problems in an innovative way and deploys its resources for the development and implementation of long-term projects for both the public and private sectors.
In addition to being a service company, we personally cultivate the product. Our company is mainly dedicated to almonds, with around 300 hectares of cultivated land, and blueberries, with 120 hectares of cultivated land per year.
In addition to export initiatives, Blue Garden is committed to promoting sustainable agriculture practices. The company imports international knowledge, implementing international standards such as Global Gap for safe food production. Blue Garden employs a team of qualified agronomists, both Georgian and foreign, to ensure the application of innovative technologies and best practices in blueberry cultivation. Digital and sensor management of gardens, agrochemical applications using drones and weather stations, and tunnel-type production are among the innovative practices employed by Blue Garden.
Digital and sensor management of gardens allows for real-time monitoring of soil conditions, water levels, and plant health. This technology enables farmers to stay actively involved in every stage of plant development, quickly identify and address issues, and optimize the growing environment for blueberries.
Agrochemical application using drones and weather stations is another progressive approach adopted by Blue Garden. This method reduces the time and cost associated with traditional pesticide application while minimizing the need for manual labor. It ensures precise and targeted treatment, leading to more efficient pest and disease control in blueberry orchards.
Nikoloz Didebashvili, co-founder of BlueGarden.
What is Georgia's profile in the global blueberry context?
Georgia with its unique combination of climate, soil and geographical location has slowly emerged in recent years as a promising developing country. Among the different types of cultivation, we can certainly point to blueberries as a real success story.
The topography and climate in Georgia are ideal for a crop such as blueberries. Especially in the summer period where we find hot and humid summers, with temperature drops at night. We are talking about a climate that definitely helps the ripening process of the plant.
What critical issues are encountered in Georgia and how can they be improved in the future?
The main problems come from incomplete supply chain development. Georgia has grown a lot in recent years but there is still a long way to go. We share the same values and passion as associations like Georgian Blueberry Growers Association for the growth and development of the supply chain in our country.
In our opinion, the best way to grow further is to promote Georgia as a growing entity in the global blueberry context. There is a need for communication, not only in minor contexts, but also from the major players and companies. We need to share and present success stories, spur a change and make everyone understand how these success stories led to the birth and development of a product like the one we have today in the Georgian market.
