BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 9
By Tamilla Mammadova – Trend:
Over the past five years, the exports of dried fruits from Georgia reached their pinnacle in 2020, Trend reports via EastFruit portal.
More than 600 tons of dried fruits were exported last year, which earned the country up to $2 million. When comparing the data from 2020 to 2019, exports increased by 46 percent in volume and 58 percent in value.
In 2020, 48 percent of Georgia’s dried fruit exports went to Germany followed by Russia (20 percent) and China (13 percent). Germany has been the largest market for dried fruits from Georgia over the past five years. In 2016-2020, supplies to the Russian market were also stable.
Last year, China took third place in dried fruit exports from Georgia for the first time, with 82 tons of exported dried fruits. In previous years, China’s share of dried fruit exports was insignificant.
The number of trading partners has increased significantly over the past five years as well. Georgian dried fruits were exported only to 11 countries in 2016, but by 2020, the number of countries increased to 24. Last year, Japan was added to the number of new markets, but Germany and Russia staying the main markets.
Up until 2020, dried apples were exported from Georgia in the largest quantities, but last year dried fruits under the commodity code “other dried fruits” (not including prunes, apples, and apricots), bypassing apples. Out of 609 tons of dried fruits, 313 tons belonged to this commodity group and only 287 tons belonged to dried apples.
Besides traditional dried apples and prunes, Georgia produces dried persimmons, which are important for exports. Georgian companies have also started to produce dried watermelons, melons, kiwis, and berries, which are interesting for export markets and less targeted by local consumers.
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