Gov’t to subside grape harvest with $19mln

About ₾50 million ($19mln) has been allocated to subsidising this year’s grape harvest across Georgia in order to “financially support farmers” and ensure "not a single kilogram of grapes is left behind", Agriculture Minister Otar Shamugia said on Thursday.

Shamugia said the subsidy would set the price of one kg of the Rkatsiteli and Kakhuri Mtsvane varieties at 20 tetri.

All enterprises that receive and process more than 100 tonnes of grapes will receive a subsidy in the amount of 20 tetri if they pay at least 90 tetri for 1 kg of grapes. As for the grapes that cannot be processed by the private sector, of course, our state enterprise will take them and process them”, Shamugia said.

Shamugia also said a reduced harvest was expected this year due to climate change affecting the quantity and quality of grapes. 

The official announced a coordination centre would open on August 25-26 to ensure organised harvest this year.

The Minister noted wine exports were increasing and added the figure had marked a 30 percent growth last year, with a “significant rise” also observed over the past seven months.

He 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.