Olive cultivation is expanding in Georgia

Olive growing in Georgia has expanded to 1,200 hectares and will continue to grow, local experts told the recent International Olive Council (IOC) meeting in Tbilisi. They added that Georgian olive growers are working with imported varieties and evaluating local ones as they plot the sector’s future. “Georgia aspires to be one of the key players in the South Caucasus olive sector,” said Abdellatif Ghedira, the IOC’s executive director. According to data from Juan Vilar Strategic Consultants, Georgia produces about 900 tons of olive oil and 500 tons of table olives per annum. One of the somewhat surprising drivers that may help Georgia speed up its current strategy of olive grove expansion is climate change, as more of the country becomes amenable to olive cultivation. “In several areas, projections show that the number of warmer days will increase,” Zviad Bobokashvili, head of the department of fruit crop research at the Ministry of Agriculture, told Olive Oil Times. ​“In ...