On October 11, 2019, a meeting with the Ambassador of republic of Korea Kim Se Woong was held. The Ambassador hosted the President of the Academy Guram Aleksidze and the Vice President, Dr. Anatoli Giorgadze.

The Ambassador got thorough information regarding the existed cooperation between the Georgian Academy of Agricultural Sciences and National Center of Genetics and other scientific centers of Korea which has been developing successfully for a few years in the field of agrarian sciences.

    During the meeting, Academician Guram Aleksidze emphasized the important issues the successful fulfillment of which will support development of long term partnership between the countries in the field of agrarian sciences. Among other problems, Guram Aleksidze discussed the perspectives of advancement of agricultural technologies in Georgia worked out by Korea.

The President of GAAS invited the Ambassador to visit the Academy, so that he could get more detailed information about the activities which will be mutually beneficial for the both parties.

Information regarding official visit to Agency of Agricultural Development, Jeonju, Korea, and the memorandum signed.

(For full information see the link)

On October 14-19, following the invitation from The Agency of Agricultural Development of the republic of Korea, Academician Guram Aleksidze, the President of Georgian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and Deputy President, Dr. Anatoli Giorgadze visited Republic of Korea. The aim of the visit was: 1. to sum up a 5-year work of the Academy and Korea Center for Agro-bio-diversity – collection, maintenance and application of plant genetic resources; 2. To get information about on-going researches at scientific institutions regarding the problem.

The guests visited the Center of Genetic Resources of Korea in which about 500 thousand samples collected in different countries are kept, among them are: cereal and legume – 174.94; food cultures – 168 638, horticultural and vegetable crops – 29 116, technical cultures – 22 670, forage and other -3 651, clone herma-plasma– 28 027, micro organisms – 23 387, livestock, insects and silkworm plasma – 36 810, and other.

It should be mentioned that, among this collection are three thousand samples – seeds of vegetables and crop cultures which have been collected in Georgia with the help of Georgian partners. The Agreement between the parties also envisaged import of vegetable cultures in Georgia and selection, which was successfully carried out in 2015 and 2016. Multiplying of the samples took place in Vashlijvari tasting plot by Dr. N. Kakabadze.

A Memorandum about joint activities for the next 5-year was set up which was signed by the Director of the Center of Agro bio-diversity of Korea and Guram Aleksidze, the President of GAAS on October 16, 2019. In the same organization, on October 18, Academician G. Aleksidze delivered a presentation at the Scientific Seminar on the following topic: “Plant Genetic Resources in Georgia”. The presentation which demonstrated rich bio-diversity of Georgia and the necessity of collecting and study of the samples by the world researchers raised live interest among the staff members of the Center.

Within the framework of the official visit, Academician Aleksidze and Dr. A. Giorgadze went to see two scientific-research institutes of Viticulture and of Winemaking. The Academy has had a three-year exchange program experience with the mentioned institutes. Korean specialists took from Georgia to their country about 150 Georgian vine species to be implemented in Korea. At present, most of those introduced species are in the greenhouse conditions and will give yield in the nearest future. At the same time, 12 Asian vine species were introduced to Georgia which are currently being tested out on the testing plots of the Ministry of Agriculture.

G. Aleksidze and A. Giorgadze also visited Scientific Research Institutes of Horticulture and Bio-technologies and discovered some interesting aspects of the work carried out at the Institutes.

The President of GAAS is Opening the Conference

         On October 2-4, 2019, in Tbilisi, at Georgian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, an international scientific conference on the topic: “Wheat in European Countries and Georgia as one of the Origin of Wheat” was held.

       Conference was financially supported by Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation, (MG-ISE-19-196).

     The aim of the Scientific Conference was to gain knowledge about existed condition of wheat and its spread in Europe as one of the main food cultures. One of the conference objectives was to generalize scientific achievements of European and Georgian researchers in wheat theory and technology. The Conference program embraced the following: Greetings of Georgian and invited

scholars, the plenary sessions and scientific presentations. The following international researchers took part in the Conference:

-       Antonio Michele Stanca (Italy) - Professor, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia. President of the Academy of Georgofili, President of the Union of European Academies for Sciences applied to Agriculture, Food and Nature (UEAA), Co - Chairman

-       Professor Michel Thibier ( France). French Academy of Agriculture; Co - Chairman

-       Professor Aleksey Morgunov. ( Turkey). CIMMYT - International Maize and Wheat  Improvement Center, Head of Turkey Office, Co-Chair;

-       José Luis Araus Ortega (Spain) Professor, Universitat de Barcelona, Centre for Research in  Agrotechnology ;

-       Acad. Igor Grinuk ( Ukraine) National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine, Kiev, Ukraine

 -        T.I. Allahverdiyev, Institute of Moelcular Biology and Biotechology, Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences.

      The Conference participants were the representatives of the Ministries of Education, Science, Culture and Sport, Environment and Agriculture, Ajara Ministry of Agriculture, Scientific-Research Centers, Georgian Technical University, Batumi Shota Rustaveli and Samtskhe-Javakheti State Universities, Associations, companies, firms, Tbilisi bread companies and other.

 The Conference was opened by the President of the Academy, Academician Guram Aleksidze. Also, foreign participants of the Conference listed above delivered welcoming speeches and wished success in the work of the Conference.

General Director of Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation Zviad Gabisonia and Z. Margvelashvili, Head of Science Department, Ministry of Education, Science Culture and Sport, E. Zviadadze, and N. Khokhashvili, Head of department, Ministry of Environment and Agriculture; M. Turmanidze, First Deputy of Ajara Ministry of Agriculture, Professor Kvartskhava, Dean of Agrarian Sciences and Bio-systems Engineering, Georgian Technical University; L. Ujmajuridze, Director of Scientific Research Center, Lali Meskhi, the Head of Georgian Wheat Producers’ Union, and M. Dolidze, the Head of Bread Producers’ Association, and other Georgian invited guests spoke about the significance of the problems raised by the Conference and wished all participants success.  

According to the Conference Program, eight presentations were to be delivered during the Plenary session and fifty presentations during two days of Conference.  

(See the Conference Program in attachment).

Within the Conference framework, an exhibition was organized which presented wheat cultivated species and bread producers’ product. Different Companies, such as “Mzetamze”, “Margi”, Ipkli Dighomi”, Ipkli Gldani”, Georgian Bread House “Kevri” and others exhibited different brands. The participants and guests of the Conference tasted different types of bread made in Tbilisi, and all of them recognized the unique qualities and taste of Georgian bread.

   The Conference foreign participants were invited on the excursion to Georgian National Museum and Kakheti Region. ( Bodbe Monastery complex and Syghnaghi).

From the right, Michele Stanca, the President of the Union of European Academies for Sciences applied to Agriculture, Food and Nature, and Academician Guram Aleksidze, the President of Georgian Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

On the 30^th of September, 2019, Academician Aleksandre Didebulidze, a Real Member of Georgian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, became 75 years old and fulfilled his 50-year scientific, educational and social work.

     At present, Academician A. Didebulidze continues his fruitful activities at Georgian National Academy and Georgian Agrarian University successfully; He is a Chair of Commission of Innovations; Learned Secretary of the Commission for Expertise of technological innovations and perspectives; Member of the Union of Alumni of Germany, Member of Scientific Coordinating Council of Journal “Intelect”; and Member of Editorial Board of a journal “Annais of Agrarian Sciences”. 

 Georgian Academy of Agricultural Sciences wholeheartedly congratulates Aleksandre Didebulidze with the Jubilee and wishes a long, happy and healthy life, further scientific achievements and fruitful public work for the benefit of our country.

On September 25, 2019, a Meeting of the Commission for Agrarian Innovations was held  at the Academy of Agricultural Sciences on the following topic: “Engineering in Agriculture: its present and future perspectives of development”. The Presenter - Dr. of Technical Sciences, Professor  Nugzar Ebanoidze, Head of Agro-Engineering Department at Scientific Research Center of Agriculture, spoke about Ltd “Mechanizatori” which has service centers in different regions and provides modern tractors and other agricultural machines.  The farmers can get technical services when growing different cultures. Because of high costs on gasoline and other expenditures, the costs for the activities carried out by Ltd. “Mekazatori” – are often very high. Considering the present problems, the presenter suggests that more effective forms of technical services should be offered which will provide service in a lower price and will be more efficient. For this purpose, it is necessary to set up a park of agricultural machines in different regions which will provide local farmers with necessary equipment. Also, it has been stated that there is a deficiency in qualified specialists. At higher education institutions there are limited departments which prepare the specialists in the field of mechanization of agriculture. Moreover, a number of scientific research institutes working on the problem have been closed in the 1970s and 1990s.

The problem of mechanization of agriculture is very urgent and much effort should be applied to make positive steps in this direction.