Agritech in Georgia: Local Realities and Global Trends

In recent years, Georgia’s agricultural sector has witnessed a noticeable technological transformation. According to the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) 2023 report, approximately 30 active agritech startups currently operate in the country. Although Georgia’s startup ecosystem remains in its early stages of development, positive trends are clearly visible, particularly concerning the integration of modern technologies into agriculture.

The majority of these startups focus on technologies such as smart irrigation systems, digital soil analysis, and drone-based agromonitoring. For instance, the local startup Agronavti has been helping farmers manage and analyze their crops through drones for several years, resulting in an average productivity increase of around 20%.

Additionally, government initiatives support the spread of agricultural technologies. Within the “Startup Georgia” program, over 5 million GEL worth of grants have been provided to agritech startups in the past two years, fostering the emergence of innovative companies.

These local developments align closely with global trends. Globally, the agritech market exceeded $25 billion as of 2024, with forecasts indicating it may surpass $46 billion by 2030. Worldwide, demand is particularly high for technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) in agriculture, vertical farming, blockchain, and remote sensing.

Moreover, investor interest is rapidly increasing toward sustainable and environmentally friendly agricultural technologies. For example, Climate Tech VC reported that global venture capital investments in agritech reached $11.5 billion in 2023, indicating that agritech is becoming a leading future investment area.

One significant challenge for Georgia remains aligning local products and technologies with global market trends. Although agritech in Georgia is still in its early stages, current developments suggest that integrating the Georgian market into the global ecosystem is entirely achievable. The key for the country is to seize opportunities presented by global technological trends and swiftly adapt them to local realities.