Gov't responds to protests against fish processing plants on Black Sea coast

Georgian Agriculture Minister Levan Davitashvili has stated today that if fish factories in the Black Sea port town of Poti do not follow sanitary standards, work will be stopped.

Moreover, he said, this will apply if the smell of fish from the factories continues to spread in the city.  

Davitashvili said that an initiative group has been set up to monitor the problem in Poti and communicate with the government.

Our legislation provides both, sanctions for companies and penalties to refund... An initiative group will work to solve the problem. It is very important the factories to have healthy raw materials. In most cases the reason of the unbearable smell is the late supply of raw materials. This year we have a huge amount of fish and it has to be supplied on time,” said Levan Davitashvili.

• Poti residents complain of unbearable fish smell

Davitashvili added that most factories have modern filters and cleaners, but the utilization of the used water is not done properly.

Residents of Poti have been protesting the unbearable smell of fish  in the city saying that the unpleasant smell spreads during November-February, the fish processing period.

There are four fish processing companies in Poti and their licenses are valid until September 2026.