Assessment of the 2023 blueberry season in Georgia: Weather, prices, and exports

EastFruit reports that the active blueberry picking season in Georgia has ended two weeks ago. Farmers and experts generally assess the 2023 season as positive compared to the previous year. The weather was more favorable for blueberry harvesting, and production and exports increased significantly, as expected from a growing industry. In addition, prices did not experience such a sharp decline as in 2022, but the decline was still significant, and some manufacturers spoke of price speculation in the market. Georgia exported a small amount of blueberries to the EU and Arab markets, although 94% of exports were to Russia. The 2023 season started without delay, in early June, which was already a positive sign. Unlike the previous season, there were no heavy rains during the main harvest in June, but the rain did create some problems at the end of the month. Industry expert Zviad Bobokashvili explained that rains lasting more than two days are especially unfavorable for blueberries, ...