33 inspectors from the National Food Agency (NFA) from all over Georgia were trained to strengthen their capacity for Fish Inspection within the framework of Strengthening Capacity of Food Safety Agency to meet the international market requirements for fish and fishery products.

This Technical Cooperation Project addresses technical gaps within the fish inspection and certification system and enhances the capacity of fish processors to move up the value chain with respect of anchovy, which is the dominant species in the capture fisheries sector in Georgia.

Training was conducted by Jogeir Toppe, Ruggero Urbani, Esther Garrido Gamarro and Thomas Moth Poulsen, international experts of FAO. The three-day theoretical workshop was followed by a field visit to Marshe, a food processing company, which processes fish products, amongst others. Inspectors gained both theoretical and practical skills to implement better inspection of the processing establishments to meet sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) obligations of international market requirements for fish and fishery products.

Fish producers also attended the training to gain a better understanding in producing value added products, particularly for anchovy, so that the fishers and fish processors can get better returns for their fish.

FAO project aims to improve the technical capacity of the laboratory under the Ministry of Agriculture to perform the analysis required by fish inspectors and also help the laboratory to move towards accreditation, which is one of the requirements of EU.