EastFruit analysts highlight the increase in the kiwifruit market in Georgia. Supply volumes increased significantly, while the retail prices showed strength. This should mean demand got stronger, from which the imports benefited most, as local production increased by way less.
An active season for kiwifruit consumption in Georgia is October-May. Kiwifruit season begins in October with the harvest of local produce, and the large-scale imports last till May. Usually, significant amounts of local kiwifruit are not stored up to this stage as they are sold before the New Year. After May, the imports drop to very low levels until the start of the new season. Overall,
Fresh kiwifruit production, imports, and retail price index
Data sources: Trade Statistics – Ministry of Finance of Georgia; Price Indices – GeoStat
The country produced 1.7 thousand tons and imported 2.8 thousand tons throughout the 2022-2023 season. Both metrics are record-breaking. Consequently, the overall supply of kiwifruit (production + import) was also record-high. Exports volumes are low and inconsequential in this regard. Georgia exported only 9% of the local harvest in the last season. All of the exports of kiwifruit went to Japan.
Read also: Record-high demand for kiwifruit in Georgia – consumption season nears the end
Interestingly, the average retail price for kiwifruit during the active season was reduced by only 3% in the 2022-2023 season compared to the 2021-2022 season and was at the second highest level at least since 2016. Given the increase of about 25-28% in the total supply of kiwifruit in the Georgian market, retail prices reducing by only 3% should be a result of increased demand.
Several reasons are considered to have supported the increased demand:
- Economic recovery from the Covid pandemic.
- Growth of the organized retail sector.
- Influx of russian citizens in Georgia.
For the last six years, Iran has been dominating Georgia’s kiwifruit imports. Usually, about 95% of the imported kiwifruit comes from Iran, a large supplier in the region. Iran actively exports from October to May. The main destination market is the russian federation.
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