MINISTRY OF ECONOMY
AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
OF GEORGIA

Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Natia Turnava met with the representatives of the minerals sector.

The Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, Irakli Nadareishvili, the Head of the National Agency for Mineral Resources, Maia Zavrashvili, the Head of Agency at Technical and Construction Supervision Agency, Davit Gigineishvili and the Governor of Samtskhe-Javakheti Region, Besik Amiranashvili also attended the meeting.

Natia Turnava briefed the meeting participants on the ongoing reforms in the minerals sector and the procedures simplified within the framework of the reforms. In turn, the sector officials informed the Minister about the challenges they faced and emphasized the changes carried out in the sector, as a result of which, they can obtain the licenses and carry out procedures for inert materials processing in a simplified manner.

The meeting was attended mainly by the representatives of sand and inert materials extraction and processing plants. The products they produce are mostly used by the local construction sector.

As Natia Turnava stated after the meeting, the reform of the minerals sector is a priority and it is noteworthy that this reform is being carried out very successfully and it was quite logical to hold such a large-scale meeting.
“Inert materials extraction and recycling is one of the fastest growing industries in Georgia and a major contributor to the construction industry. In turn, the government supports this industry by implementing many important infrastructure projects. There is a great need and urgency to obtain inert minerals and we have discussed as to how to make this industry focus on larger technology investments, how to make our entrepreneurs not be oriented to only the extraction of inert minerals, but also their processing. It is to be welcomed that today there are so many opportunities, the business activity is so profitable and entrepreneurs have such a great resource that everyone thinks about inert minerals processing and development and expansion of the industry. On our part, however, we have started to simplify the procedures,” - Natia Turnava said.

As the Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development said, the draft bill has already been passed by the parliament in the first reading. According to the draft bill, an entrepreneur, who is engaged in inert minerals extraction and, at the same time, wants to operate a processing plant, the government will give them a plot of land more efficiently and in a simplified manner without any bureaucratic procedure in order to build a plant and employ people there.

“We have also introduced the single window principle to the meeting participants, which means that people and companies do not have to go and write letters separately to different departments of the same Ministry; this is totally unacceptable. Like in other fields, we have established the single window principle to the industry of the minerals extraction. The National Agency of Mines is already fully digitalized and the entrepreneurs themselves have stated they do not have to arrive in Tbilisi and can find information on the ground. The next step is to simplify the procedures of signing agreements with different structures,” - Natia Turnava said.