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and staff is the main purpose of my visit. We will try to meet with government officials to see how we can move this project forward as quickly as possible, as it is important and valuable to APM Terminals and, of course, to Georgia. We have analysed the volume of freight in the Caucasus corridor. We intend to invest $250mn-300mn in the Poti Port project, which will be sufficient for the expected volume of cargo. We will build a 700-metre berth that will serve large and bulk cargo ships. The harbour will be able to serve vessels up to 300 metres long on two berths 13.5-14.5 meters deep. A 400-metre berth will be arranged for bulk, and a 300-metre berth for containerized cargo. Container freight through the Poti Sea Port will increase to 1 million TEU, and 60,000 ton (Panamax-type) bulk cargo vessels will have access to the new port infrastructure and technical support for efficient service. Overall, the port's annual cargo capacity will increase by an additional 10mn tonnes,” van den Essen said.
The director also answered the question of how he saw future prospects if the Anaklia deep-water project was built.
“Currently, based on our analysis, we do not see the need to build two ports in Georgia. But of course, if this is done within the framework of healthy competition and equal conditions for everyone who wants to build a port, we would welcome it,” said van den Essen.
Lawrence talked of a solid partner, the Poti Consortium of New Terminals.
9.1.7 ​Agriculture sector news
The US Department of Agriculture is to award a $10mn grant under the five-year Food and Progress programme to improve food safety and quality from ‘farm to fork’ in Georgia’s dairy and beef production chains, Agenda.ge​ ​reported​.
Under the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (DCFTA) with the European Union, Georgia’s farmers can sell products on the European market—but at the same time they face competition from foreign producers on the local market. An upward trend in milk production in Georgia started in 2015 thanks to assistance from the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). The production of high-quality milk in Georgia more than doubled between 2015 and 2018, the fifth dairy congress in Tbilisi announced earlier this year.
The goals of the project are to increase agricultural productivity and expand trade among more than 54,000 direct programme participants, primarily along the East-West Highway corridor.
By reducing losses and boosting productivity, the project aims to help Georgian farmers access additional markets for dairy and beef products.
9.1.8 ​TMT sector news
A cyberattack hit several servers in Georgia including those of Proservice, impacting 2,000 websites in the country including those of the president, the courts, several mayors’ offices and three television channels on October 28, according to local press reports.
The hacker took over the sites and displayed a photo of former president Mikheil Saakashvili with the words, in English, “I’ll be back.” Self-exiled Saakashvili left the country in 2013 after his United National Movement (UNM) party lost elections in 2012 and he was barred by the Constitution from pursuing another presidential term. He is now wanted on what he calls
53​ GEORGIA Country Report​ November 2019 ​ ​www.intellinews.com