Demand for offseason strawberries keeps growing in Georgia

EastFruit analysts note that Georgia is importing increasingly more strawberries. In January and February 2023, the country imported 420 tonnes of fresh strawberries – 3 times more than in the same months last year. Georgian strawberry season peaks in May and June then the supply falls off quickly. In the current off-season, strawberry import volumes are record-breaking so far. Imports of strawberries from August to February by season, in tonnesData source: Ministry of Finance of Georgia Total imports from August 2022 to February 2023, a month with the latest available trade data, Georgia has imported 750 tonnes of strawberries. This is 44% more than in the same period the year before. Such a huge jump in year-on-year terms is attributed to the growth of local demand from the influx of Russian citizens and the economy recovering from the pandemic. Strawberry imports in the reviewed months have grown by roughly 85 tonnes a year in the last 9 years. Generally, rising imports are ...