Tbilisi: A parliamentarian Committee of Georgia reviewed the report of the activities performed by the National Wine Agency in 2022, and the information meeting about the 2023 harvest of wine production was also held.
The issue was raised by Levan Mekhuzla, Chairman of the National Wine Agency of Georgia. As per him, the field of wine growing is strategic for the country and, therefore, needs special attention to make it more productive in the future.
Chairman also added “It is important that the impact of these programs is tangible for the country as well as for the government and parliament who are dedicated to the development and advancement of the wine industry. The National Wine Agency operataiton based on state programs. Currently, we have six programs, which include Events for promoting the vintage, Measures for the development of viticulture, Laboratory research of wine, Promotion of Georgian grape origin, Measures to promote Georgian wine, Measures to promote the development and protection of the system of appellations of origin for Georgian wine”.
On this occasion the Chairman of the National Wine Agency presented the agency’s activities report to the members of the Committee which highlighted the achievements of the agency for the year 2022.
As per the information year 2022 presented initial challenges for the wine-growing sector. In the first half of the year 2022 exports of Georgian wine to Russia and Ukraine declined due to regional political tensions. But later on the situation stabilised in the second half of the year and the upward trend in wine exports continued.
On the contrary In 2022, Georgia exported up to 104 million litres of wine amounting to 252.5 million US dollars to 66 countries across the globe marking the highest figure in independent Georgia’s history. Export revenues of Georgian wine increased by 5.5% compared to 2021, and the quantity of wine exports increased by 30%. Grape alcoholic beverages accounted for 4.5% of total exports.
Levan Mekhuzla further provided detailed information to the Committee members about the grape harvest, noting that the harvest was successfully completed in Georgia during the current year. Approximately 221.2 thousand tons of grapes were processed across the country which generated over 303 million GEL in income.
The Chairman of the National Wine Agency speaking on the occasion emphasised that the grape harvest was well-organized and proceeded without significant issues.
