EU rejects 7 shipments of Georgian hazelnuts for alleged toxins
The rejected hazelnuts will be destroyed or processed as non-food products. Photo: N. Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
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The European Union (EU) has refused to import seven shipments of Georgian hazelnuts in 2018 due to the discovery of large amounts of the toxin aflatoxin..
Head of the Food Safety Department of the Georgian National Food Agency Giorgi Mikadze explained that hazelnuts are inspected before exporting but during the transportation process they become contaminated and accordingly cannot enter the EU market.
We have strong control mechanisms. If the hazelnuts are inspected and contaminants are revealed, of course, they will not be exported”, said Mikadze.
He said that in previous years there were other incidents in which Georgian hazelnut shipments were rejected – nine in 2016 and nine in 2017.
“Such cases happen in all hazelnut exporting countries and Georgia is not an exception”, said Mikadze.
The rejected hazelnuts will be destroyed or processed as non-food products.
In the first 10 months of 2018 the export of Georgian hazelnuts decreased by 30%.
The export of Georgian agricultural products to the EU countries is on the rise, says the Ministry of Agriculture of Georgia. In the first quarter of 2018, Georgia exported agricultural goods worth $37.8 million.
22 tonnes exported to Great Britain
Georgian wool has become the first product of animal origin to be exported to the market of the European Union (EU), marking a further step on Georgia’s deepening trade ties with the EU.
Georgia’s external trade with EU up 18.6%, with CIS up 27.4%
Georgia is increasing its role as an important trade partner for the European Union (EU), the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and other countries.
Black Sea fish and fish products have a high chance of making an impression in Europe and becoming one of Georgia’s leading export products alongside wine, hazelnuts, blueberries, wool, and honey.
The export of Georgian agricultural products marked new records in 2018, announces the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia.
Trade turnover between Georgia and EU increased by 17.7% in comparison to 2017 and reached $3.35 billion in 2018, much in part thanks to the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) agreement with the EU.
Georgia is getting ready for a rich and high quality hazelnut harvest season during which thousands of tonnes of hazelnuts will be picked and sold locally or exported. This year more than 40,000 tonnes of hazelnut are expected to be harvested, while last year Georgian farmers picked just 17,000 tonnes of hazelnut.
Georgia, Azerbaijan and Turkey are joining forces to improve the quality and increase the production of hazelnuts, announces the Georgian Ministry of Agriculture.