Some wine companies note that, despite the decline in total exports, they have seen an increase in sales abroad in the first 9 months of this year.
According to Rtvelisi company, the main export markets are Asia and Europe. the company director Tornike Chikadze says that the company’s sales have soared by 25% and this year a total of 5 million bottles are planned to be exported.
Commenting on a decline in exports over 9 months, Tornike Chikadze says it was driven by an excise tax on alcohol products introduced on the Russian market.
« Asia and Europe account for 80% of our company’s sales that have increased by about 25% this year. You know that our company is already in its fifth year. Therefore, this year was marked by development both in terms of exports and on the domestic market. We expect to close the year with 20-25% growth and export 5 million bottles. This is our plan we are set to implement.
As for the overall figures, they are driven by the record overload of the Russian market last year, which, in turn, was driven by the increase in excise tax in the future. Now these figures are returning to their natural levels», - Tornike Chikadze points out.
Note: in the first 9 months of this year, Georgia exported wines for a total of US$189.8 million that is 11.5% less than last year. A drastic decline is again observed in the Russian market, where exports fell by almost 17% to US$120.1 million in the first 9 months.
