Gov't supporting wine industry to prepare for grape harvest amid coronavirus
Traditionally, the wine harvest begins in September in Georgia’s winemaking regions – Kakheti, Imereti and Racha. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
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Georgia is getting ready for the major grape harvest season during which more than a hundred thousand tonnes of grapes will be picked, packed and sold locally or exported.
Traditionally, the wine harvest begins in September in Georgia’s winemaking regions – Kakheti, Imereti and Racha.
But the government of Georgia is already taking measures to support the winemaking sector in the midst of the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia has discussed the damage that the Georgian wine industry has suffered due to the global coronavirus pandemic and due to reduced tourism at a meeting with the industry insiders yesterday.
In addition to the government’s anti-crisis plan that also supports the wine sector, the government extended the agro-credit programme which now covers the wine industry as well, and will help wineries overcome problems caused by the pandemic.
Gakharia tasked the Ministry of Agriculture of Georgia to ensure farmers do not face any problems regarding grape storage, and that the public as well as the private sector be well prepared for the harvest season.
The volume of grapes processed during the 2019 harvest in Georgia reached 271,000 tonnes, which was the highest harvest vol over the last 30 years, said the Georgian National Wine Agency.
The wine-making sector is giving new energy to job creation and strengthening Georgian business, announced Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia at a meeting with wine-makers earlier today.
The volume of grapes processed on a daily basis in Georgia has reached 9,000 tonnes in the past 24 hours, which is the highest rate of harvest over the last 30 years in Georgia’s grape-producing Kakheti region.
Over 6,000 tonnes of grapes have been processed in Kakheti region as of September 13.
National Wine Agency Chairman Levan Mekhuzla says that Georgia may face a challenging grape harvest season this year.
Farmers and fruit growers in Georgia's eastern Kakheti region are preparing for a bumper peach and nectarine season, during which about 35,000 tonnes of fruit is expected to be harvested, announces the Ministry of Agriculture of Georgia.
The government of Georgia will subsidise the 2020 grape harvest, especially grape varieties of Rkatsiteli and Kakhuri Mtsvane in order to support farmers completely sell their produce, announces Prime Minister of Georgia Giorgi Gakharia.
Georgia has exported 6,179 tonnes of peaches and nectarines as of July 14 which is 640 tonnes more than in the same period of last year, when about 5,539 tonnes of peaches and nectarines were exported, announces the Ministry of Agriculture of Georgia.
The grape harvest season is picking up steam in the Georgian winemaking region of Kakheti, where 200 tonnes of grapes have already been processed as of August 26, announces the Georgian National Wine Agency.
About 11,000 tonnes of grapes of various varieties have been processed in the Kakheti region, east Georgia, as of September 8.
About 40,000 tonnes of grapes of various varieties have been processed in Georgia’s eastern winemaking region of Kakheti as of September 14, which is 33 per cent more year-on-year.
Georgian Agriculture Minister Levan Davitashvili and Foreign Minister Davit Zalkaliani have hosted foreign diplomats at a grape harvest in Tsinandali, in Georgia’s eastern winemaking Kakheti province.
A Georgian wine degustation event was held in Munich, Germany on October 30, says the National Wine Agency of Georgia.