According to EastFruit analysts, products worth $ 17 million were imported into the country in December 2022, which is about 55% more than the data of the same period of 2021 ($ 11 million in December 2021). Despite the fact that the Georgian Lari strengthened after 2020, the prices of products are increasing.
In December 2022, compared to the same period of the previous year, the volume of potato imports increased the most - by 5,260%.
The list of the most imported fruit and vegetable products is as follows:
Potatoes - 5,260% more products were imported, import value - $ 1.5 million;
Onions - increased by 65%, import value - $ 900 thousand;
Cucumbers - increased by 45%, import value - $ 800 thousand;
Legumes - increased by 31%, import value - $ 1.1 million;
Eggplants - increased by 30%, import value - $ 900 thousand;
Walnut kernels - increased by 28%, import value - $ 1.1 million;
Tomatoes - increased by 6%, import value - $ 900 thousand.
Import prices, which include product cost, insurance and shipping to Georgia, have increased for most goods. However, the change in volume is positive in all cases for those products that occupy the leading place in the import of fruits, nuts and vegetables in Georgia.
According to analysts, the increase in demand depends on several factors:
Russian citizens’ entrance into Georgia after the war increased the demand for products; the development of the retail trade sector in Georgia, which is focused on the availability of a wide assortment and full counters; the bad harvest of some crops in Georgia, for example, potatoes.
Georgia's top trading partners by imports are Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan.