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. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge
Tweet 
Share
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.
Georgian wine producers are showcased in the international wine fair VinExpo Paris in the French capital, the National Wine Agency said on Tuesday.
Export of Georgian agricultural products to countries of the European Union is on the rise, with the Ministry of Agriculture data showing a 21 percent year-on-year increase in the figure in the first quarter of 2023.
Georgian Agriculture Minister Otar Shamugia said maintaining the international image of Georgian wine remained a “priority” for state institutions, in comments made during his visit to a Tbilisi wine laboratory on Thursday.
Georgia will lead international wine industry experts in discussions relating to global wine trade issues over the next 12 months as part of the country’s newly assumed status as the Chair of the World Wine Trade Group, the National Wine Agency said on Thursday.
Twenty Georgian women winemakers are featuring in events promoting Georgian wine in the United Kingdom, with venues in London hosting the showcases.
Georgia exported about 103 litres of wine worth $252.5 million to 66 countries in 2022, Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili told the country’s Parliament on Friday, adding the figures marked a “record high” in the independence period of the country since the early 1990s.
The export value of Georgian agro-food products in 2023 increased by 27.7 percent, compared to the same figure of the previous year, amounting to $787.5 million, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia said on Friday.
Georgian Agriculture Minister Otar Shamugia on Tuesday highlighted the World Wine Trade Group, an organisation aiming to facilitate wine trade and promote international information-sharing and joint actions to remove trade barriers, as a “good platform” for “promoting and raising awareness” of Georgian wine.
Georgian Agriculture Minister Otar Shamugia on Saturday said wine export from Georgia was increasing every year, noting the country had exported about 103 million litres of wine in 2022 and this year the figure was expected to increase.
The Georgian National Wine Agency on Friday said Georgian wine was gaining popularity in the Asian market, highlighting the ongoing showcase of 16 wines from the country at Foodex Japan, an annual international food and beverage exhibition in Tokyo.