According to Aleko Papava, the reason is the shortage of honey in the market at the moment, which was caused by the high demand last year. 
"The last 20 tons of honey left the country in February, and it will not be exported until May, that is, until we start receiving the new harvest. There is a shortage of honey in the market at this stage. Last year, the demand for honey from the EU and other countries increased, domestic consumption was also expanding. 
In 2022, more than 90% of honey exports were made to the EU member states and other countries as well. As more honey passes through Georgia, the demand and interest increase proportionally. If we had 500 tons more, it would be sold for export without any problems. The European Union mainly asks us for acacia honey, and we have specific resources for this, and we cannot exceed the limit set, therefore, we are waiting for spring, which will hopefully be better climatically than 2022," Papava said.
To be informed, 258.1 tons of honey worth 1.1 million US dollars were exported from Georgia in 2022, and the target figure for 2023 is 500 tons for the Georgian Beekeepers' Association. As for the beginning of the year, in January 2023, only 0.72 tons of honey were exported abroad, while 22.5 thousand tons - in the same period of the previous year.