Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia

According to the EU Commission Regulation EU 2022/34 of 22 December 2021, Georgia has been added to the list of countries, whence snails are allowed to be exported to the EU market

Before adopting the respective regulation, certain measures intended to get closer to the EU legislation were taken by the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture and the National Food Agency. All strides were made under the framework of the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (DCFTA). 

It should be mentioned, that a number of projects promoting the development of snail production in Georgia have been implemented by the Rural Development Agency of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture.
 

In total, 38 loans exceeding 10 million GEL were issued for creation and development of snail production under the preferential agro-credit project. The co-financing of the Rural Development Agency amounted to over 824,000 GEL.

Moreover, Georgian honey (from 2016), Black Sea anchovy (from 2017), pet food products (for dogs, cats..from 2020) and certain categories of non-food products (leather, wool) are allowed to be exported from Georgia to the EU market. .

It should be mentioned, that 173 tonnes of honey were exported to various markets, including 143 tonnes exported to the European countries in 2021.
The total value of exported honey amounted to USD 657 000. The value of export was increased by 436%, while the volume increased by 696%  compared to the same period of the previous year.