BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 9
By Tamilla Mammadova – Trend:
Russia remains the biggest market for Georgia's exports of fruit, mostly because of the high purchase price, said Deputy Minister of Agriculture Giorgi Khanishvili, Trend reports via Georgian media.
For this reason Georgian producers are focusing on Russia, despite that diversification of exports is still one of the government's priorities.
According to Khanishvili, Georgian blueberries have been exported to Holland this year, but at this stage the supplies are insignificant and cannot compete with exports to Russia.
“Fruits on the European market are cheaper than in Russia. This boosts growth of exports to Russia. The EU is a strategic direction and our goal is to convince the European partners of the high quality of our fruits,” he said.
According to Khanishvili, Georgian fruits, which fully comply with all quality standards, will gradually enter the European market in larger quantities. For this, with the support of special government programs, large refrigeration facilities are being built to store products for longer periods of time.
“Over time Georgian fruits will capture its worthy niche on the EU market, ” he notes.
According to Georgia's Ministry of Agriculture, from May 1 to July 18, 916 tons of blueberries worth $5.4 million were exported from Georgia, of which 841 tons were sold in Russia. In Russia the purchase price for a kilogram of blueberries is $6.5-7 per kilogram, while in Europe $5.
From May 1 through August 9, Georgia exported 25,900 tons of peaches and nectarines in the total amount of $23 4 million that is 41 percent more than in 2020. Of this amount, 16,915 tons were exported to Russia, 7,688 tons - to Armenia, 269 tons - to Azerbaijan, 119 tons - to Belarus.
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