Farmers and fruit growers in Georgia’s eastern Kakheti region are preparing for a bumper peach and nectarine season, during which about 35,000 tons of fruit is expected to be harvested, the Ministry of Agriculture has announced.
From the total volume of the harvest about 15,000 tons of peaches and nectarines will be exported, while the rest will be sold locally.
A special peach and nectarine harvest coordination center will be opened in the middle of June in the town of Gurjaani in Kakheti that will issue documents required for the export of the fruit in a single window system.
Last year Georgia exported 13,256 peach and nectarine to the following countries: Russia – 10,777 tons, Armenia – 1,373 tons, Azerbaijan – 667 tons, Ukraine – 150 tons, Kazakhstan – 114 tons, Slovenia – 78 tons, Iraq – 39 tons, Iran – 20 tons, Moldova – 19 tons, Belarus – 18 tons and Qatar – 0.4 tons.
There are 11 fruit-processing factories operating in Georgia with the co-financing of the Ministry of Agriculture. (Agenda/Business World Magazine)