On June 24, 2009 the 1st National Congress of Georgian Hazelnut Growers was held at the Sheraton Metechi Palace Hotel under the initiative and support of AgriGeorgia LTD, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Italian giant confectionary producer Ferrero. The aim of the congress was to create a ground for information sharing and contact establishment among the Georgian hazelnut producers. The speakers included the Deputy Minister of Agriculture of Georgia Aleksandre Tsintsadze, the Head of the Georgian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Jemal Inaishvili, the Hazelnut Business Development Manager of Ferrero Maurizio Cortese as well as other Georgian and foreign experts working on different hazelnut related issues.
AgriGeorgia LTD was formed in February 2007 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Ferrero Trading Lux S.A., which is the fourth biggest confectionary producer in the world. The company owns approximately 3,000 ha of agricultural land in the Samegrelo Region, where it develops hazelnut plantations. It employs the permanent staff of 170 employees, and retains on average approximately 500 temporary workers for its agricultural activities each month.
It is worth noting that Georgia is the worlds fourth largest producer of hazelnuts with around 25,000 tons of hazelnut production annually. The hazelnut growing culture has a long history and tradition in Georgia and the country boasts several internationally competitive local varieties of hazelnuts such as Anakliuri, Dedoplis Titi, etc.
