According to the data of November 20, 2019, the export of Georgian mandarin amounted to 1,658 tons, the Georgian Ministry of Environment and Agriculture told EastFruit.
According to the ministry, in the first place in the export of tangerine, as a year earlier, is Russia, where 906 MT were delivered (55%). Export was also carried out to Armenia (468 MT), Ukraine (222 MT), Latvia (41 MT) and Azerbaijan (22 MT).
Harvesting of mandarin in Georgia began in the second decade of November, it is expected that in the coming days it will enter the active phase. According to the ministry, the mandarins of this year’s harvest are mostly of high quality, which was due to tangible progress in the fight against marble bugs that harm many crops, including citrus. Accordingly, farmers can rely on higher purchase prices.
Currently, the average purchase price for a standard mandarin is approximately 0.6 GEL ($0.2 at the current exchange rate) per 1 kg.
“As for export markets, Russia and Ukraine are traditional in this case. It is important that as a result of the work done, interest has also appeared from Belarus. I hope that the logistics issues will be settled, and the Georgian mandarin will be established in the Belarusian market. Our products are competitive, they meet all the requirements for packaging, proper delivery and delivery. Today, Georgian mandarin is presented on the market in accordance with modern standards. Last year, we successfully exported trial lots to Poland, the Persian Gulf and Central Asia. These export destinations will not replace existing markets, but we expect them to grow and contribute to diversification, ”said Levan Davitashvili, Minister of Environment and Agriculture of Georgia.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture of the Adjara Autonomous Republic, more than 20 enterprises are engaged in receiving from farmers, sorting and packing export mandarin in Adjara (the main supplier of this citrus to the market). Separately provided for the reception of non-standard mandarin. The refrigeration capacities of the region allow cooling and storing about 7 thousand tons of mandarin simultaneously.
To facilitate the organized and unhindered delivery of citrus fruits by farmers to the Ministry of Agriculture of Adjara, a coordination headquarters has been opened. A hotline is available to quickly obtain information.
According to the National Statistics Service of Georgia, the mandarin crop in the country in 2018 amounted to 62,300 MT. The volume of exports of fresh or dried tangerines at the end of 2018 amounted to $13,989,800.