Chair of the Agriculture Committee, Gela Samkharauli, delivered remarks at the presentation of the study titled “South Caucasus, Georgia, an Independent Center of Bread Wheat Origin in the Neolithic Period,” published in the journal of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

The study confirms that Georgia represents an independent and, to date, the oldest documented center of the origin of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum).

In his address, Gela Samkharauli noted that the scientific confirmation of the ancient roots of wheat cultivation in Georgia once again highlights the centuries-old civilizational progress that was initiated by the cultivation of the vine.

He further stated that it is natural that in a region where unique technologies of viticulture and winemaking were developed, wheat selection and agriculture would also reach a high level of advancement.

According to Samkharauli, Georgian land still holds many undiscovered secrets, and future findings will further strengthen the country’s position among the cradles of global agricultural culture.

The article is based on an international multidisciplinary study led by Academician David Lordkipanidze, drawing on 8,000-year-old archaeological materials discovered at Gadachrili Gora and Shulaveri Gora in Georgia, as well as on the long-term scientific research of paleobotanist Professor Nana Rusishvili.

The international multidisciplinary research was conducted within the framework of the project “Research and Promotion of Vine and Wine,” supported by the Ministry of Culture of Georgia, the National Wine Agency, the University of Toronto, the Weizmann Institute, and the “Society Iveria”.

The event was also attended by the Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture Davit Songulashvili, Minister of Culture Tinatin Rukhadze, and representatives of the legislative and executive authorities.