Environmental programs account for only 21% of the Agriculture Ministry’s budget, while several programs have recorded low execution rates, MP Vika Pilpani said during a parliamentary committee hearing. She noted that GEL 172 million of the ministry’s GEL 808 million budget was allocated to protected areas, forests, wildlife, environmental oversight, waste management and biodiversity.
Pilpani highlighted particularly low execution of waste management and biodiversity programs. The solid waste management program had used only GEL 6.8 million, or 26% of its seven-month annual plan, while the Adjara solid waste project had recorded zero execution. The biodiversity program also stood at 0% after seven months.
Deputy Agriculture Minister Zurab Ezugbaia said environmental funding will increase in 2027 across agencies including the Environmental Supervision Department, National Forestry Agency, Protected Areas Agency and Wildlife Agency. He attributed the increase partly to new legal obligations under laws on water resources and industrial emissions, as well as expanded protected areas and forestry regulations.
Ezugbaia acknowledged delays in some waste management projects but said the problems had been addressed. Two modern landfills are being built in Samegrelo and Kvemo Kartli and are expected to become operational in 2027. He added that next year will also see design work for centralized landfills in other regions, while funding will allow construction of a permanent hazardous waste disposal facility and completion of a long-term project to safely contain arsenic-containing hazardous waste.
