Lean Environmental Solutions

Guide · Georgia

Hail

Hail can strip a vineyard, orchard or bean field in minutes, and in Georgia it is the most costly risk to farms.

Who and when

Every year, April to September, worst July to September. Kakheti vineyards first; also fruit and vegetables. Hail took over 20% of the grape harvest in 2012, 2021 and 2023.

Getting worse or not: yes (World Bank).

Right now

Right now (autumn 2026)

  • Orchards and vineyards must pay next year's agro-insurance premium after this harvest and by 31 Dec 2026. The state pays 70% (75% in villages near the dividing line).
  • Plant the Future closed on 1 Jul 2026. The State Agro Co-financing Programme replaced it: up to 50% of a whole project (55% for cooperatives, highland and dividing-line villages); hail protection can be part of it.
Before

Before: get ready

Crops and trees

  1. Register your land and get on the Registry of Farms and Rural Enterprises. Insurance needs both. When: now, before December.
  2. Insure. Perennial crops by 31 Dec; annual crops before the season. Cover starts 4 days after you buy, so buying after a hail forecast is too late. Ask RDA on 1501.
  3. Spread the risk: farm several small plots in different places, with mixed crops. No cost. When: at planning.
  4. Keep a record of each plot: area, normal yield, dated photos. When: every season.
  5. Watch warnings in the hail season: the METEO.GOV.GE app (up to 3 days ahead) and TV.
  6. Hail nets cost a lot: about USD 18,000–20,000 per ha (2020–2022). They also keep some insects out, but cut light. Consider sharing through a cooperative. When: up before April.

Animals

  1. Know where your animals can get under cover fast when a storm comes. When: before May.

Money: agro-insurance covers hail (state pays 70% of the premium); nets can be part of an Agro Co-financing project.

During

During: when it hits

  1. Get people under cover. Call 112 if someone is hurt.
  2. Bring animals under cover if you can reach them safely.
  3. Stay away from greenhouses and old buildings in a storm (general practice, check locally).
After

After: recover

First days

  • Take photos with date, time and place before you touch anything.
  • If insured, tell the insurer fast (your deadline is in the policy; ask RDA 1501). Write down every call: date and name.
  • Leave damaged crops as they are until the assessor has seen them. Spraying is fine; cutting off fruit is not.
  • Vineyards and orchards: the first 7 days matter most. Spray to protect wounds before the next rain (against botrytis, downy and powdery mildew, black rot). Use locally registered products (general practice, check locally).

First weeks

  • Count what is left: shoots, bunches, next year's fruiting wood (general practice, check locally).
  • After the assessor's visit: remove badly damaged shoots, dead leaves and bunches. After early hail, vines can regrow from secondary buds. Watch wounds for trunk disease (general practice, check locally).

Money and help

  • Insured: assessors have 2 weeks (annual crops) or 3 weeks (perennials); follow up in writing. The vineyard package covers grapes, not vines.
  • Not insured: the state has paid in some years (2023: GEL 3,500 per ha; 2025: bought hail-hit grapes at GEL 1/kg), but this is not promised. Officials push insurance instead.
  • Your own dated photos may be the only record.
Build back better

Build back better

  1. Insure before every season, and register land so you can.
  2. Spread plots and crops instead of one big field.
  3. Share nets through a cooperative, using Agro Co-financing.
  4. Keep photos and yields per plot every year.

What the farm check looks for

Vineyard or orchard, crop not insured, land not registered, farm in Kakheti or Shida Kartli.

Get a free farm check

Sources