BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 28
Tamilla Mammadova – Trend:
The export of wine and spirits from Georgia amounted to $343 million in 2020, Trend reports via Georgian media.
Exports of alcoholic beverages increased by 3.8 percent to $132 million.
The leader in the ranking of the spirits industry in 2019 is the company "Askaneli", whose revenue amounted to 63.22 million lari ($20.1 million). It will be followed by "Sarajishvili", whose income in 2019 was $45.17 million lari ($14.3 million); next comes the largest importer GD Alco - with an income of 43.44 million lari ($13.8 million). The income of "Alcorium" was 24.13 million lari ($7.6 million), and that of "Smugglers" was 11.29 million lari ($3.5 million).
The spirits market in Georgia has been developing dynamically so far, but 2020 has hit it hard and local producers and importers don't predict returning to the old level yet. At the same time, however, the spirits sector has emerged as the exception that has overcome some of last year's biggest challenges.
The expectations of the companies this year as a whole are positive. Regulatory easing and vaccination are promising, but they also see risks. The difficult economic situation in the country hinders the production and sales of premium alcohol.
The instability of the national currency remains a major problem and challenge for the spirits industry and most businesses operating in Georgia.
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