Georgia has extended the GEL 420-per-ton fee on rebar imports until March 1, 2027, under a government decree signed by Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze. The fee had previously been scheduled to expire on September 1, 2026.
The tariff was initially introduced on January 25, 2025, and was originally set to remain in effect until September 1 of that year. Its validity was subsequently extended to March 1, 2026, and then to September 1, making the latest extension the third since its introduction.
The import fee was introduced in response to a sharp increase in rebar imports. In the first eight months of 2026, rebar imports reached $194 million, or 330,000 tons, up 93.6% year-on-year, equivalent to a $93.9 million increase. With the fee included, the cost of imported rebar rises from around $588 to $748 per ton, adding approximately $161 to the price.
The extension comes as domestic producers have also reported financial challenges. In January 2026, former Rustavi Steel CEO Igor Koritko told BMG that the company’s rebar production business was loss-making and that it planned to sell the segment. On July 30, Rustavi Steel sold its rebar production business to PM Metal, whose production facility has an annual capacity of 200,000 tons.
