Page 61 - GEORptOct21

9.1.9 Agriculture sector news
164,000 tonnes of grapes processed in Georgian wine region so far this season
Georgia expects annual wine exports to reach $1bn by 2031
A total of 164,000 tonnes of grapes had been processed in the Georgian wine region of Kakheti as of September 22, the Georgian National Wine Agency announced.
Out of the processed grapes, about 96,000 tonnes were of the Rkatsiteli variety, 60,000 tonnes were Saperavi, 3,300 tonnes were Kakhuri Mtsvane and the remainder were various different grape varieties.
The grape harvest generally begins in September in Georgia’s winemaking regions of Kakheti, Imereti and Racha; however this year it started in August in Kakheti after heavy hail and wind destroyed 4,600 hectares of vineyards in about 30 villages.
Head of the National Wine Agency of Georgia Levan Mukhuzla said that this year Georgia harvested fewer grapes, but they were better quality ones compared to previous years.
“This will improve the quality of wine in general which in the long run will have a positive impact on the price of Georgian wine and, consequently, on the incomes of both grape growers and entrepreneurs. High quality will allow Georgian wine to establish a proper place in export markets,” Muzhula said. The grape harvest will start in the first half of October in Georgia’s Racha-Lechkumi region, which is famous for its Aleksandrouli and Mujuretuli grape varieties. The famous semi-sweet Georgian red wine of Khvanchkara is made from these unique grape varieties.
The Georgian government has decided to subsidise the 2021 grape harvest due to the post-pandemic situation in order to financially support farmers.
The National Wine Agency of the Ministry of Agriculture of Georgia has reported that Georgian global wine exports continue to grow, posting a growth rate of 13% y/y to date this year, with exports to the US running 35% ahead of last year.
The improvement builds on five consecutive years of similar growth.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili said on August 13 that Georgian wine exports are expected to reach $1bn by 2031.
On August 2, Gharibashvili announced that the Georgian government would subsidise this year’s grape harvest.
The PM said that according to the plan the government would achieve a target of $1bn in terms of revenue from wine exports, the government press service noted. The head of government discussed the current situation in the industry with winemakers in terms of planned and already implemented projects for the development of the sector.
At his meeting with winemakers, Gharibashvili recalled that after 2012 the grape harvest increased from 52,000 tonnes to 300,000 tonnes, and new vineyards were planted on an area of 6,400 hectares.
According to the Georgian National Wine Agency, in 2019 the republic exported around 94mn bottles of wine worth $240mn. In 2020, the statistics were skewed lower due to the coronavirus pandemic. From January to July 2021, the country exported 55mn bottles to 58 countries of the world. The total cost of products was $125mn, which is 9% more than in 2020.
The largest buyers were Russia (over 33mn bottles), Ukraine (over 6.4mn bottles), and Poland (over 3.2mn bottles).
61 GEORGIA Country Report October 2021 www.intellinews.com