BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 20
By Fidan Babayeva – Trend:
Over 80 percent of exported alcoholic beverages in 2019 accounted for the Russian market, Chairman of the Azerbaijan Wine Producers and Exporters Association Elchin Madatov told Trend on Feb. 20.
Madatov said that there was a smooth increase in Azerbaijan’s export until 2019. In 2018, export of wines increased by more than 29 percent.
In 2019, the export of alcoholic beverages declined slightly - by 5 percent compared to 2018, amounting to $7.3 million, the chairman of the association said.
Madatov noted that the decline in exports is primarily related to the changes occurring in international markets, namely, an increase in excise tax and VAT rates, devaluation of national currencies, unhealthy competition etc.
"Since more than 80 percent of Azerbaijan’s wine exports go to Russia, our exporting producers are already intensifying their activity to reduce dependence on one market," the association’s chairman said.
In 2019, a record grape harvest (slightly above 190,000 tons) was collected in Azerbaijan, which is almost 30 percent more compared to 2018, Madatov said.
The chairman added that it is planned to reach positive indicators again, and to export a significant part of the produced wine.
The main exporters of Azerbaijani wines are Shaki, Jalilabad, Ganja and Goygol wineries alongside with a number of private companies involved in the production of alcoholic products.