Gov’t to subsidise wine harvest, anticipates effects of “climate conditions” on part of 2023 yield

The Georgian Government will subsidise the harvest of winemakers across the country in the coming fall and also anticipates a part of this year’s yield to be of “inadequate quality” due to “climate conditions”.

A meeting involving Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili involved the decision that the Government would uphold a minimum price of ₾0,90 ($0,34) per kilogram of white grapes from farmers.

State-owned companies will also accept damaged grapes to alleviate the effect of weather conditions on the quality of the harvest, the Government Administration also said.

Garibashvili emphasised it was “essential” for winemakers to be able to sell their products for profit and further support the industry's “consistent growth” over the recent years. 

Agriculture Minister Otar Shamugia said it was “crucial” that wine exports were increasing, and noted they had reached a 30 percent growth last year, with a “significant rise” also observed over the past six months.

He also said 103 million litres of wine worth $252 million had been exported to 66 countries over the past year, setting a record in the country's independent history. The Minister added demand for high-quality grapes was rising along with the exports of wine.