In January-March of this year, cargo turnover in Poti Free Industrial Zone increased by 50%, – Davit Ebralidze, Executive Director of FIZ told bm.ge. Despite the slowdown in business activity in April.
“in spite of the economic crisis caused by the virus in Georgia and in the world, the volume of cargo turnover in Poti FIZ, both import and export, has not decreased in January-March and is stable. Also, if we compare the above data with the cargo turnover data for the same period of 2019 (January-March), the situation here is even more positive and impressive, as there was an increase of about 50% in both imports and exports.
The companies that export and import cargo, maintain their activity, it is just slowed down more. One of the reasons for this slowdown can be the reduced demand from consumers, “- said David Ebralidze.
The CEO of Poti FIZ says that the enterprises registered with them also remain active.
“As for the production directions, a certain part continues to work in accordance with the regulations and decrees set by the government. We have companies that wanted to complete and open their enterprises before the crisis, their construction was suspended for some time, but today the final work on these facilities continues and when this crisis passes, we will be able to open these enterprises.
As of today, about 120 companies are registered and operated in Poti FIZ. Most of them are trade companies, we have about 10 enterprises that produce different types of products, such as lubricating oils, tires, alcohol, perfumes, roofing products, ”Davit Ebralidze told BM.GE.
According to the CEO of FIZ, negotiations were held with the trading company during this crisis.
“During this period, we completed negotiations with three investors – one of them was a car manufacturing company that was to build a factory, they temporarily suspended construction work until the situation is stabilized. “We have 2 more enterprises. This is the Turkish company” Georgian Technology “, which specializes in the production of microchips, and it is also a nut processing factory, which has been built and the final work is left,” – said the CEO of Poti FIZ.