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

The Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture,  Levan Davitashvili held a meeting with the specialists from Australia and New Zealand visiting Georgia to share their experience in the fight against the Asian Stink Bug.

Under the frame of their 10-day visit to Georgia, the foreign specialists got closely acquainted with the activities implemented by Pest Management Center, which is located in west part of Georgia. The foreign specialists expressed their interest to the issues, regarding, planned measures, implementation processes, how monitoring system was arranged etc.. The visit also included agricultural farms and meeting with farmers in east part of Georgia, where pest was not spread, although  monitoring device has been installed and approved for permanent operation.
According to foreign specialists, considering the fight against the brown marmorated sting bug, Georgia has been revealed as the leading country gaining a successful experience, which is strengthened by a systematic and coordinated approach. Therefore, other countries facing the threat posed by invasive pests will willingly get Georgia’s experience. Australia and New Zealand are listed among most successful countries in terms of sustainable agricultural development, as agriculture plays a key role in the economic development of these countries. The spread of Asian Stink Bug resulted Georgia to face new challenges and we think, that other countries might face this challenge as well. Consequently, Georgia’s experience and best practices will further help New Zealand and Australia to develop preventive measures and combat invasive pests " said Levan Davitashvili.

" Georgian Government takes active steps to cooperate with all sectors, this is the most important lesson that we have learned, it is obvious, that coordinated approach, as well as engagement of all residents which face an increasing threat from Asian stink bug is very important. We welcome and congratulate Georgia, as we think, that you did your best, that other countries haven’t done in the fight against invasive pests " said the manager of the Biosecurity Response Service of New Zealand,  Catherine Duthie.
The visit of the New Zealand and Australian specialists was planned in March 2019 under the frame of the International Conference " The Fight against the Asian Stink Bug  and other Pests " held in Georgia. The specialists and representatives of the scientific community from 26 countries attended the conference.