BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 17
By Tamilla Mammadova - Trend:
A good peach crop is expected in Georgia this year, said Zviad Bobokashvili, representative of the Georgian Agricultural Research Center, Trend reports citing Georgian media.
Peach cultivation is considered in Georgia as one of the most promising areas of crop production. According to the National Statistical Service of Georgia (Geostat), in 2019, peach ranked fifth in terms of the crop among fruits and nuts produced in the country (after grapes, tangerines, apples and hazelnuts) and third in the list of exports of fresh fruits and nuts (after hazelnuts and tangerines).
The harvest of peaches in 2019 amounted to 22,300 tons, or 57.8 percent of the total stone fruit crop (38,600 tons).
The crop of peaches has been declining over the past three years (32,300 tons in 2017, 27,500 tons in 2018 and 22,300 tons in 2019), but its export volume is growing. In monetary terms, peach exports in 2017 amounted to $4.3 million, in 2018 - to $8.2 million, in 2019 - to $12.5 million.
A similar situation, according to Bobokashvili, is observed with regard to cherries.
“The main producer of cherry is the Shida Kartli region, and there the flowering of cherry is just beginning. So, we are waiting for the last week of April,” he said.
The export of cherries has been growing over the past three years ($20,000 - in 2017, $100,000 - in 2018, and $300,000 in 2019). Cherries account for 7.8 percent (3,000 tons) of the total stone fruit yield.
As for the apricot, this season, according to Zviad Bobokashvili, its harvest is likely to be low, and the reason for this is heavy rainfall during the flowering period.
“Apricot blossoms in Georgia is during the first and second decades of March. During this period, there were no frosts in Georgia, but prolonged rainfall was observed, so the apricot harvest in Georgia is likely to be very poor,” said Bobokashvili.
Apricot export does not have a pronounced trend (in 2017 it amounted to $400, in 2018 - to $20,000, in 2019 - to $10,000). Apricot in the total stone fruit crop accounts for 3.1 percent (1,200 tons).
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