On 2 July, the International Trade Centre (ITC) will officially launch the ‘Eastern Partnership: Ready to Trade - an EU4Business initiative’ project in Georgia. The purpose of the event is to present to the business community, institutions and government officials the key features of the project in Georgia, including the main findings of the value chain analysis for the selected product groups and the roadmap of project activities.
ITC started implementing the ‘Ready to Trade’ project in March 2018. The project is funded by the European Union as part of the EU4Business initiative. It aims to improve the competitiveness of SMEs in Georgia and other Eastern Partnership countries and to connect them to international and EU markets.
The project implementation in Georgia started with an SME survey from the agro-processing sector, conducted in cooperation with the Export Development Association (EDA). Based on the results of the survey, as well as the findings of the project inception phase, three value chains, hazelnut, fruit juice and tea, have been prioritised for project assistance in view of their export potential to the EU. The survey results show that 49% of surveyed companies are already exporting to EU and 37% have expressed interest in entering the EU market.
A value chain analysis was also conducted for the selected product groups, the results of which will be presented and discussed during the event on 2 July.
At the event, the selected project beneficiary companies will have an opportunity to exhibit their products to the participants.
Participation in the event is by invitation only.