BAKU, Azerbaijan, Dec.22
By Tamilla Mammadova – Trend:
Exports of Georgian fruit products are mainly carried out to its neighboring countries, in particular, Russia, Azerbaijan, as well as countries of the European Union, said George Khanishvili, First Deputy Minister for the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia, Trend reports via Georgian media.
"A lot depends on the specific crop that is being exported. For a lot of them, Russia is the main export market, and this is quite understandable as it is a large and neighboring market with relatively low transportation costs," he said.
"For example, the priority market for hazelnuts is clearly the European Union. I would like to note that recently, exports of numerous other crops to the EU market have also been growing based on the fact that more and more manufacturers are preparing products that meet European standards. Also, we have agricultural products that are more in demand in the Middle East, etc. We work in all markets depending on the demand for certain product groups and this year we have been successful in all markets," he added.
Exports of fruits and nuts from Georgia for three quarters of 2020 is 53.8 percent higher than a year ago. The share of fruits and nuts in the country’s total exports increased from 2.3 percent to 4 percent.
According to Khanishvili, the growth of these indicators against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic is not at all surprising and is largely due to the implementation of state-supported projects for farmers in the country.
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