From the year of foundation HEPA is actively working with governmental agencies, donors and international organization to solve the challenges of the hazelnut sector. Here is part of things we have done:
- Through the initiative of the association and active cooperation with the Business Ombudsman’s office, as well as the Ministries of Finance, Agriculture, Economy, and Sustainable Development, the issue of production losses during the natural drying of hazelnuts has been resolved. Fixed rate of production loss was set, which helped member companies to avoid tax related disputes.
- Through the active cooperation of the association with the Business Ombudsman’s office, as well as the Ministries of Finance, Agriculture, Economy, and Sustainable Development, the issue of VAT related to hazelnuts has been resolved. The supply of hazelnut kernels on the local market has been excluded from VAT, enabling local producers to operate without disruptions.
- In cooperation with the association, the Ministry of Agriculture developed the Technical Regulation for Hazelnuts. The association has been actively involved in discussing amendments to the regulation since its inception.
- From 2015 to 2017, the association organized four hazelnut forums and has been actively involved in forums organized in subsequent years.
- In 2016, in collaboration with Oxfam, an international scientific-practical conference was held, which received high praise from industry specialists.
- We actively collaborated with the USAID/Ferrero G-HIP (Georgia Hazelnut Improvement Project), which provided crucial support for our further development.
- With the financial, advisory, and technical assistance and support of the USAID/Ferrero G-HIP project, we joined international organizations such as FRUCOM (an officially recognized representative organization of nut and dried fruit traders by EU institutions) and INC (the International Nut and Dried Fruit Council).
- The association systematically monitors the hazelnut market trends and provides the gathered information to its members.
- The USAID EPI project was successfully implemented, under which training sessions and a study visit to Italy were conducted. The project facilitated the visit of consultant Thomas Beck to Georgia, who examined the development prospects of the hazelnut sector.
- With the significant support and assistance of the USAID/Ferrero G-HIP project, the association participated in meetings organized by FRUCOM and its member organizations in Hamburg and Brussels, which further deepened the foundations of cooperation with these entities and also set future plans.
- In 2020, with the support of ITC (International Trade Centre), a buyers’ tour was organized, during which representatives of leading companies visited the association’s members and held B2B meetings.
- In 2023, with the assistance of ITC (International Trade Centre), the association hosted a study tour for a Ukrainian delegation in Georgia.
- With the assistance of ITC (International Trade Centre), a development and reorganization plan for the association was developed.
- Since its founding, the association has organized various training sessions for member companies in the areas of food safety, exports, logistics, and financial accounting.
The association regularly organizes meetings between representatives of the Food Safety Agency and member companies to ensure that they are informed in advance, directly from the relevant authorities, about planned changes.