Georgia harvests around 60,000 tonnes of anchovy annually from the Black Sea, most of which is exported fresh to Turkey or processed into fishmeal and oil, but with the assistance of the FAO, Georgian processors have been working to improve skills and facilities to allow them to export to the EU.
A study visit organised by the FAO and INFOSAMAK took Georgian producers to Morocco, one of the list of EU-approved third countries, where they were able to see techniques used for marinading anchovies for a variety of markets. They visited several producers in Agadir and also the Specialised Centre of Value added and Technology of Marine Products
‘These visits were extremely useful for the Georgian delegation,’ said FAO food safety and quality officer Esther Garrido Gamarro, who organised the study visit together with INFOSAMAK.
‘They were especially interested in what they learned by observing and interacting with the smaller enterprises. In the smaller factories they began to see the possibilities for such enterprises in their own country, especially because major investments are not required for anchovy processing. They also had the opportunity to observe first-hand how anchovies processing is actually quite an artisanal activity even when processing for international markets. This translates well into the Georgian reality.’
“Another interesting development was that during this visit the Georgian delegation was also pleased to see a good deal of interest in Georgian Black Sea anchovies from their Moroccan counterparts. The price of Georgian anchovies was considered quite attractive. The Georgians and Moroccans also discussed concrete possibilities for trading semi-processed anchovies, another interesting potential market opportunity for then Georgian entrepreneurs.’
The next time you eat a pizza with anchovies, the topping may well originate from the Georgian shores of the Black Sea, and marinated with techniques learned in Morocco.
