Georgia exports 1,797 tonnes of hazelnuts
By Natalia Kochiashvili
Tuesday, September 8
“Hazelnut picking has already started in Samegrelo, the forecast figure is 50,000 tons, the export of which will bring about $100 million to the region,” the Prime Minister of Georgia, Giorgi Gakharia said at the ‘Hazelnut 2020’ event in Zugdidi.
According to him, fruit growing is important both for Samegrelo and for the Georgian economy in general.
“Whatever we say, although this year was epidemiologically difficult, we had many constraints economically, there was a crisis, but not a single day of agricultural work, as well as work on system infrastructure, did not stop,” PM announced.
He mentioned the Peach harvest in Kakheti, exports of which have almost doubled. PM also spoke of apple picking in Kartli, which will start soon and this year the harvest will be 3 times more - the expected amount is 120 thousand tons.
According to him, the fight against Farosana in Georgia was one of the best examples of how to fight these pests in the world, and this fact is recognized.
Georgia has already exported 1,797 tonnes of hazelnuts this year which is an increase of 81% compared to the same period of last year, says the Georgian Ministry of Agriculture.
The major European countries to which Georgia has exported hazelnuts are: Germany – 460 tonnes; Italy – 423 tonnes; Czechia – 154 tonnes; Spain – 93 tonnes; Poland – 66 tonnes; Lithuania – 62 tonnes; Other European countries to which Georgia has exported hazelnuts this year are Ukraine (61 tonnes), Great Britain (22 tonnes), Austria (22 tonnes), Estonia (22 tonnes), Belarus (21 tonnes), Latvia (21 tonnes), France (42 tonnes), Greece (10 tonnes).
Georgian hazelnuts have also been exported to Armenia (154 tonnes), Russia (66 tonnes), Mexico (25 tonnes), and Brazil (24 tonnes).
Despite the coronavirus crisis, negotiations have been carried out with exporters and associations of hazelnut producers, as a result of which hazelnuts are still making it to export, says the ministry.
Gakharia, together with the Minister of Environment Protection and Agriculture Levan Davitashvili, visited the hazelnut drying-warehousing enterprise "Koki 2014" in the village of Koki, Zugdidi Municipality, which was established with the support of the United Agro Project.
Leaders got acquainted with the complete process of receiving and handing over hazelnuts in the enterprise, which includes hazelnut reception, slicing, weighing, drying, laboratory research, and storage.
According to the founders of "Koki 2014", the enterprise serves about 300 farmers in the Samegrelo region every year.
A total of GEL770,000 was invested in the enterprise, of which GEL285,000 was a state grant.
The production capacity of the enterprise dryer is 1,000 tons, and the storage capacity is 500 tons. The enterprise permanently employs 17 locals. Products are sold in export markets.
The Prime Minister and the Minister spoke to the farmers gathered on the territory of the enterprise and called on them to make the most of the state support programs in order to further develop their farm and contribute to the well-being of their families as well as become employers.
According to the Ministry of Environment Protection and Agriculture, as of September 5, 24,240 tons of peaches and nectarine were exported from Georgia, which is 11,208 tons more than in the same period last year.
According to the data of the National Wine Agency on September 5, 5,000 tons of different varieties of grapes have been processed in the Kakheti region. According to the agency, at this stage, 160 wine companies are registered in the coordination headquarters, 30 wineries have already been involved in the grape processing process.
