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the introduction of the latest virus restrictions, the government at this point does not plan to introduce any additional ones.
As for the vaccination process in the country, according to Paata Imnadze, deputy director of the National Centre for Disease Control, the vaccination rate was satisfactory. "We are satisfied with the current vaccination rate. This is 25,000-26,000 daily vaccinations," Imnadze said, adding that the system can already handle more than 30,000 daily vaccinations.
As of August 17, Georgia had administered a total of 806,698 vaccinations. A total of 238,871 people were fully vaccinated by that date.
9.1.9 Agriculture sector news
Remarkably high exports of potatoes from Georgia
Georgian wine exports up 12% in Jan-Sept
Some 6,200 tonnes of potatoes were exported from Georgia in September, as the country filled a supply gap for Russia in particular.
A total of 83% of the Georgian potato exports were sent to Russia and Azerbaijan. Ukraine, Moldova, Armenia and Slovenia accounted for the remaining 17%. The share of Russia in the total export volume was 45%. There were significant price differences: exporters to Russia were paid $430 per tonne, which is 1.5 times more than the second highest price paid by Armenia ($280). In all other cases, the export price remained below $135 per tonne.
Russian demand for potatoes from the latest harvest in Georgia was driven by the recent unfavourable situation in the Russian market. Heavy rains in Russia made it difficult for growers to harvest potatoes, and local supplies were very limited. Moreover, the average harvest has dropped significantly this year. All this leads to an increase in potato prices, as well as to the need for imports to the Russian market. If prices in Russia remain steady, more exports from Georgia can be expected, since the average potato price in Georgia is currently about 38% lower than in Russia.
This can lead to high prices for potatoes for Georgian consumers. Supplies that were previously targeted at the local market will be exported to Russia. The Georgian potato industry has already faced such circumstances, when Russia bought huge volumes of Georgian potatoes in the second quarter of this year. As a result, average prices for Georgian potatoes in July and August increased by 90% in dollar terms compared to the same period in 2020 and by 30% compared to 2019. From September 24 to October 1, the average price of Georgian potatoes increased from $0.29 to $0.32 per kilogram.
The volume of exported Georgian wine in January-September was up 12% y/y, according to new statistics.
Revenue reached $168mn, 11% more than was seen in the same period of last year.
The top five destination countries for Georgian wine traditionally are: Russia, Ukraine, Poland, China and Kazakhstan.
The most significant export growth was seen in relation to the following countries: Turkey - 209% (93,330 bottles), Czech Republic - 202% (112,356), Mongolia - 146% (362,370), Canada - 88% (261,538) and Sweden - 59% (96,400).
Overall, a total of 397 companies exported different amounts of wine in the assessed period. Apart from wine, during the period, 25.5mn bottles (0.5 l) of brandy were exported (up by 17%), accumulating revenue of $47.5mn (up by 7%). Additionally, 660,000 bottles of Georgian chacha (0.5 l) were exported (up by 97%), accumulating revenue of $1.7mn (up by 84%).
Altogether, the exports of wine, brandy, chacha, brandy spirits and brandy on
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