Georgia’s external trade up 12.1 % in January-September

Georgia’s external trade grew by 12.1 percent this year and reached $7567.5 million in January-September 2017, says the National Statistics Office of Georgia (Geostat).

This year the value of Georgia’s exports increased by 28.3 percent to $1940.3 million, while the value of imports also increased 7.4 percent to $5627.2 million with respect to January-September 2016, said Geostat.

Georgia’s trade deficit equalled $3686.9 million this year, which was a 48.7 percent share of the country's total trade turnover.

Trade deficit is an economic measure of the negative balance of trade in which a country's imports exceed its exports.

Georgia’s Deputy Economy Minister Genadi Arveladze said that in September 2017 the largest export groups were:

• Ferroalloys (97 percent)
• Copper ores (28 percent)
• Medicaments (35 percent)
• Natural wine (56 percent)
• Alcoholic beverages (29 percent)
• Mineral waters (16 percent)