On May 21, 2018, Association of Business Consulting Organizations of Georgia (ABCO) organized and facilitated its third regional DCFTA Local Advisory Council (LAC) meeting, conducted in the region of Imereti. The event was held in the regional capital Kutaisi, in the “King David Hotel”. Total number of 28 participants attended the LAC meeting who represented all 3 target groups of the Project – CSOs (12 participants), SMEs/farmers (10 participants) and 5 participants represented local Public sector /State administration/ agencies from different municipalities of the region, including staff of the state Informational-Consultation Centers (ICCs). LAC event, facilitated by ABCO’s facilitators, applied the methods of brainstorming, group discussions and analysis and followed the Agenda which provided for identification and prioritization of the most significant sub-sectors relevant for the local economy in the view of new perspectives provided by the DCFTA. After that, LAC members worked on identification and evaluation of specific problems and obstacles that create hindrances for sustainable development and profitable activities in the priority economic sub-sectors of the region. As a final step, LAC participants elaborated recommendations on how to address the identified problems and challenges for some of the identified sub-sectors that for Imereti region included: dried-fruit production, tea production, fruits and berries production. The recommendations will serve as baseline for the discussion at the Central Advisory Council in Tbilisi with representatives of relevant state institutions.
