Deputy Economy Minister: Georgia’s exports have reached “record” $4.8bln

Georgian Deputy Economy Minister Vakhtang Tsintsadze on Tuesday said domestic exports had “consistently increased“ since June, with an overall 4.1 percent increase between January and September contributing to a “record” total volume of $4.8 billion.

He added, exports increased by 17 percent year-on-year in September alone, amounting to $615.6 million.

• Georgian external trade up 3.7% in January-September, amounting to $16.77bln

Tsintsadze attributed the trend to “active” participation of businesses and the private sector, while expressing optimism about the country’s economic growth.

He emphasised the Government’s support for the competitiveness of small and medium enterprises through state programmes, coupled with the “beneficial” free trade agreements with the European Union, China, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and other countries, which he said collectively represented a market of 2.3 billion consumers.

We will continue to actively work towards liberalising trade markets. Additionally, we will increase and expand state support programmes aimed at promoting small and medium-sized entrepreneurship”, he said.

The Ministry of Economy said the previous year also saw a “record high” in exports and trade turnover, with a nine percent increase in exports, to $6.1 billion, and a 13.4 percent increase in trade turnover, to $21.7 billion.