Hybrid corn program abolished

The hybrid corn program which was heavily promoted by the previous Georgian government has recently been discontinued. The new government has refused to continue this project and instead has tried to support the development of local non-hybrid corn. The hybrid corn and wheat program was launched in October 2010 - over 30,000 farmers were forced to buy the hybrid seeds and take out bank loans. The farmers were not properly instructed how to plant the seeds or provided with agro-technical assistance. Many farmers faced poor or no harvests and unable to pay their loans were forced into bankruptcy. The new government decided to stop a risky project which yielded no viable results. Some agricultural experts have suggested that the selection and promotion of local varieties of corn and better agricultural techniques (including fertilizers) will help improve production.