On Thursday and Friday, 28-29 of January, ISET Policy Institute hosted CARE consortium workshop under the ENPARD project (Cooperation for Rural Prosperity in Georgia). The workshop was attended by all four consortia members: CARE International in the Caucasus, ISET Policy Institute, Regional Development Association (RDA) and Georgian Farmers Association (GFA). During the meeting past achievements of the project were highlighted as well as the strategy for moving forward was agreed. After two years of its launching, consortium members discussed the challenges and opportunities the program is facing at the moment, the lessons learned during the past two years and the ways to better facilitate cooperative development across the consortium target areas in Western Georgia.
On January 20th, the ISET Policy Institute presented the final results of its regulatory impact assessment (RIA) regarding the draft methodology of irrigation/drainage tariffs. The goal of the workshop was to present and receive feedback from major stakeholders on final results of the RIA. The effort of different research centers of ISET Policy Institute have also contributed to the study since mid-November 2015.
The RIA offers the initiative an independent economic analysis of different methodological options for setting amelioration tariffs around the country. At this stage amelioration sector operates with tariffs set under the interim decree of Georgian National Energy and Water Supply Regulatory Commission (GNERC). The Commission sets fixed tariffs per hectare for major irrigation/drainage service provider in the country, state owned, Ltd. Georgian Amelioration.