Georgia exported “record high” amount of wine in 2022, says Agriculture Minister

Georgia exported about 103 litres of wine worth $252.5 million to 66 countries in 2022, Agriculture Minister Otar Shamugia told the country’s Parliament on Thursday, adding the figures marked a “record high” in the independence period of the country since the early 1990s. 

Speaking in the Minister’s Hour format to present a report on the work of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture over the past year, Shamugia said the export of Georgian wine had been increased to Japan (+68%), Estonia (+53%), Germany (+34%), Poland (+32%), the United States (+28%) and Latvia (+20%). 

He told lawmakers 257,000 tonnes of grapes had been harvested and processed in the country last year, with farmers generating ₾270 million ($107.59mln) in the process.

Otar Shamugia presented report on the work of the Ministry of Agriculture in the Parliament. Photo: IPN

The agriculture programme launched by the United States Agency for International Development to raise the awareness of Georgian wine in Germany, South Korea, the United Kingdom and the US last year was also noted by the Minister. He said ₾14 million ($5.58mln) would be spent on the marketing campaigns within the programme this year.

He also pointed out the significance of strengthening quality control of Georgian alcoholic beverages, highlighting a regulation making certification of beverages mandatory for sale on the domestic market had come into force in January.

Under the regulation, trade networks are required to request a certificate of conformity from manufacturers before being able to sell the drinks. Shamugia said out of 2,976 certificates issued in the first quarter of the year, 794 had been granted for the domestic market.