Plant Protection Department

Plant Protection is complex of scientifically substantiated measures for the country food products safety and provision, on which harvest and quality of agricultural cultures of the strategic importance depends on. Phytosanitary protection of Georgian territory is a component of the country and the most significant factor of food products safety provision. It includes plants protection and quarantine measures taking, which prevent import of vegetative products and materials by transportation means to the Georgian territory, which contain quarantine subject and other hazardous pests, vegetation diseases and weeds as well as export of those when carrying out an international trade according to international norms and requirements and obligations born by Georgia in the plants protection sphere.

Georgia has signed an agreement Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Application with World Trade Organization (WTO), on 10 November 2006 by Georgian Parliament resolution #3675-II Georgia became a member state of International Pant Protection Convention; to meet requirements of the Convention it is necessary to improve functioning of plants protection organization in Georgia, institutional structure and legislative basis. 

To meet requirements of the Convention the Plants Protection Department within its competence determined by law carries out monitoring and supervision of cargoes and transport means subject to quarantine to prevent entrance and spreading of non-registered harmful organisms in Georgia. Department controls general condition of plants protection on the whole territory of Georgia. To prevent migrant, extremely hazardous and subject to quarantine harmful organisms entrance the Plant Protection Department prepares state programs and organizes, controls and takes plants protection measures. It carries out phytosanitary monitoring to detect deceases causing pests and weeds, degree of their spreading and development, reasons of springing and favorable factors of that and eradicate them, to forecast harmful organisms spreading and development.

To meet requirements of FAO Pesticides Distribution and Application International Code the Department implements a state policy to ensure pesticides efficient application and safe use.  Department coordinates testing and expertise of new pesticides and agricultural chemicals and carries out state registration of those, determines list of preparations authorized for application in Georgia and draws up a state catalog, controls pesticides and agricultural chemicals quality, circulation and use.

Plant Protection Department makes educational activities to improve farmers’ awareness, publishes and disseminates agricultural cultures protection recommendations and other materials, conducts seminars for specialists and farmers to introduce plants protection advanced technologies, to contribute to new pesticides right and safe application.