Sustainable Development of Beekeeping in Georgia - Closed Grant Call

Starting from May 2018, People In Need – PIN is implementing the project “Sustainable Development of Beekeeping in Georgia” with the support of the Czech Development Agency – CzDA.

The project aims to increase the productivity of beekeepers in the following target regions: Imereti, Guria, Racha-Lechkhumi, Kakheti, Mtskheta-Mtianeti. It focuses on the development of small and medium beekeepers and on the improvement of quality and volume of produced honey and other apiculture products. This, in turn, is expected to contribute to the improvement of beekeepers’ livelihoods.

One of the components of the project seeks to enhance the knowledge and skills of small and medium beekeepers by delivering a 7-day theoretical and practical ABC training course, which covers guidelines for beekeeping operations, practical tips for consistent and efficient production of honey and bee products, marketing issues, etc.

From May 17 to June 21, these trainings were conducted by large commercial and professional beekeepers in their own enterprises/bee farms in order to make the course more practical and to help the participants easily master up new skills. Overall, 10 training groups were formed in the target regions; trainings were delivered to 143 small and medium beekeepers selected by means of a competition.

According to the survey conducted in the beginning of the project, production value chain of small and medium beekeepers is characterized by a number of shortcomings that impede expansion of their businesses and growth of their income. Out of these, focus should be made on the following shortcomings that can be solved in a relatively simple and fast manner, by stimulating small grants:

• Low productivity of small and medium beekeepers due to outdated equipment and inadequate infrastructure;
• Lack of access to honey extraction, storage and blending equipment for small beekeepers - as a result, small beekeepers process honey using low-quality and inefficient equipment;
• Lack of knowledge in new technologies;
• Lack of effective cooperation among small beekeepers.

Terms of the grant call

Non-governmental organization “People in Need” (hereinafter PIN) is pleased to announce a closed technical grant call for small and medium-size beekeepers, financed by the Czech Development Agency (CZDA). The call is aimed at introducing new technologies in apiaries, in accordance with the knowledge and experience obtained at the ABC training course, which in turn, will increase their productivity and quality.

Target regions of the grant call include Imereti, Racha-Lechkhumi, Kvemo Svaneti, Guria, Kakheti and Mtskheta-Mtianeti.

Only those small and medium-sized beekeepers or group of beekeepers (maximum 4 beekeepers) can apply for the technical grant who have participated in the 7-day training course organized by PIN from May 17, 2019, to June 21, 2019, and have been awarded certificates for successful completion of the course. At least one grant is awarded to each group of the beekeeping training.

Scheme of the grant call

The maximum amount of co-investment is 2 000 (two thousand) GEL. To this amount, co-financing of the call winner will be added, which constitutes at least 10% of the co-investment requested from PIN. Co-investment should be used only for capital investment, to purchase the main production facilities. The inventory will be purchased by the winning beneficiary as a co-financing. The document confirming the purchase must be submitted to PIN offices to the addresses listed below in the terms specified in the Grant Agreement. The applicants' co-investment will be inspected by an organization representative.

This 10% should be transferred to the bank account of PIN, from which the assets envisaged by the technical grant will be purchased. Thus, under the grant scheme, 90% of the total value of fixed assets, that are to be purchased under the investment project, will be financed by PIN, while the other 10% will be financed by the winner. For example, if the cost of the equipment (s) to be purchased within the investment project is 1000 GEL, 900 GEL will be allocated under the project and the remaining amount - 100 GEL will be paid by the winner.

PIN will not transfer the amount directly to the winning applicant; co-investment amount will only be used for purchasing production facilities and not for covering operating and/or current expenses; the applicants should not request co-investment amount to purchase/repair the buildings, land, and infrastructure.

Co-investment of the project will be used to purchase fixed assets that meet modern food safety requirements and are required for the production of honey and other bee products, such as modern beehives and/or bee colonies, modern honey extractors, blenders, honey storage vessels, special clothing, etc. as well as processing, packaging, laboratory and veterinary devices, food safety and quality control instruments, etc.

A grant agreement will be signed with call winning beekeepers, where the rights and responsibilities of both parties will be thoroughly outlined. The assets acquired by co-investment will initially be lent to the winner applicants. In December 2019, once all basic conditions of the applicants’ grant agreement are met, they will be donated as a gift.

Timeline of the grant call

To ensure the proper quality of the application, the project team will hold consultations on the way to write grant applications.

Submitted applications will be reviewed and evaluated by a selection committee, comprised of the project team and beekeeping experts, using the following criteria:

• Technical feasibility;
• Percentage of the applicant’s co-investment
• Assessment given by the trainer;
• Active involvement of applicants in ABC trainings – attendance at 7 –day training course;
• Expected improvement in production and processing of honey and/or other apiculture products by use of the equipment purchased by the grant;
• Cost-efficiency of equipment purchased by the grant;

Each criterion will be given certain points. If some applicants receive equal scores in the main criteria, preference will be given to women, young people and IDP group representatives.

Schedule of the grant call:

• 3 July Announcement of the grant call
• 3 July – 19 July Consultations on writing of grant applications;
• 22 July, 17:00 Deadline for submission of grant applications;

Besides PIN website www.pin.ge, the grant application form can also be obtained in PIN offices. Filled out grant applications should be sent to the following e-mail address: pinadmin.georgia@peopleinneed.cz

Employees of PIN and partner organizations involved in the project, representatives of local and state government bodies, who may influence decision making, as well as members of the selection committee,  are not allowed to participate in the call. It also applies to family members of the listed persons.

For consultation and further details, please contact the project coordinators on working days, from 09:00 to 18:00, on the phone numbers or e-mail addresses listed below.

Teona Purtskhvanidze
Project coordinator in Imereti, Guria, Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti regions
People in Need, 27 Solomon Pirveli Street, Kutaisi
Phone: 599 301 305
E-mail: teona.purtskhvanidze@peopleinneed.cz

Vitali Dundua
Project coordinator in Kakheti and Mtskheta-Mtianeti regions
People In Need, Tbilisi, Kikodze str. N16
Phone: 595 65 55 57
E-mail: vitali.dundua@peopleinneed.cz