Project Title:  State-owned enterprises (SOE) and their efficiency in Georgia - Focus: Agriculture Sector
Project Funded by:  “East-West Management Institute" (EWMI) program “Public Policy, Advocacy and Civil Society Development in Georgia” (G-PAC)

Project Budget: USD 43,052.10

Project Duration: December 02.2013 – July 01. 2014

Partner Organizations: Tax Payers Union, Ministry of Agriculture of Georgia

Project Description:

Institute of Development of the Freedom of Information (IDFI) in partnership with the taxpayers Union and the Ministry of Agriculture of Georgia, is implementing project "State-owned enterprises (SOE) and their efficiency in Georgia; Focus: Agriculture Sector".

The main purpose of the project is to conduct a study on state-owned enterprises (SOE) whose shares of 50% or more are under direct or indirect ownership of the state. The research aims to reveal the effectiveness and efficiency of the SOE’s and expediency of Government ownership. Based on the research results, the research team will offer the recommendations to Government bodies. Also project aims on elaborating and advocating for recommendations on improvement of transparency of state owned enterprises.

Project Objectives

• Project aims at increasing transparency of the sector and initiating public discussions about the role and operational purposes of the SOEs. This will assist public servants, experts, and other stakeholders in further analyses.  
• Study the current and past financial conditions of SOEs, in order to make proper and intelligent decisions about these SOEs in future.
• Prepare general analysis about existing market competition in the agriculture sector, and what is the role of SOEs in this sector.  
• Prepare recommendation package for the Government about future policy related to certain SOEs.

Project Activities

• Audit reports will be studied and the information about the SOEs will be obtained.
• High officials, heads of the enterprises, farmers, representatives of the private sector and experts will be interviewed in Tbilisi and the regions, where SOEs are located.
• Discussions will be conducted in the round table format for the experts, decision makers and the representatives of the private sector.
• Project team will study the legal bases that ensure the growth of transparency of SOEs and elaborate recommendations.
• Meeting with the representatives of the government and parliament will be organized in order to make them familiar with the outcomes of the project and the recommendations.

Contract