Georgia:Â The volume of traffic in Georgia’s transit corridor has increased, yet there are still delays at customs posts.
In the month of April only, around 34,021 cargo vehicles went through Georgian territory. Revenues from road usage exceeded 6.8 million last month, according to the country’s Ministry of Finance.
Moreover, on an annual basis, revenues are also increasing. During the first four months of 2022, the state budget collected 23,207,382 GEL from road tolls. In comparison to the previous year, the amount has increased by GEL 3.3 million, or 16.8 per cent.
The following is a summary of truck tolls paid in each month of the current year:
- January – 26,742 trucks / GEL 5,348,454
- February – 30,493 trucks / GEL 6,098,630
- March – 24,780 trucks / GEL 4,956,096
- April – 34,021 trucks / GEL 6,804,201
Increased demand for land transit has contributed to long queues at customs terminals. The Revenue Service states that the Georgian side is working tremendously and at full capacity. Still, some work is undergoing at the customs terminals of bordering nations due to which, for example, the customs checkpoint of Vale (one of the checkpoints between Georgia and Turkey) is closed. The cargo is diverted in the direction of Kartsakhi (also between Georgia and Turkey).
In May, approximately 5,000 transport vehicles entered Georgia through the Kartsakhi checkpoint, and over 9,200 trucks departed the country. On an annual basis, incoming traffic has increased by 233 per cent, while outgoing traffic has increased by 513 per cent.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has impacted the above-mentioned increased transport flow. Traffic flows that previously flowed via Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus have now been shifted through the intermediate corridor due to Russian sanctions.
