High-tunnel Georgian growers switch from tomatoes and cucumbers to blueberries

Published May 22, 2023

Tridge summary

Georgia has experienced a significant increase in the import of cucumbers and tomatoes during the 2022-2023 off-season, with over 11 thousand tons of cucumbers and 17 thousand tons of tomatoes imported from Turkey since October 2022, a 44% and 60% rise compared to the average imports of the previous eight off-seasons. This surge is due to both increased demand and issues with local high tunnels and greenhouses. Open-field production is the dominant form of agriculture in Georgia from July to September, while the off-season relies heavily on local production and imports. Recent reports indicate a decrease in production volume from high tunnels, which is causing concern for the future of tomato and cucumber farming in these areas.

Disclaimer:The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

EastFruit analysts highlight unusually high import volumes of cucumbers and tomatoes in the 2022-2023 off-season. There are issues with the local high tunnels, which are key local suppliers during the off-season, along with the greenhouses. Of course, the increased demand also contributes to the surge of imports. Open-field production strongly dominates the market in only three months in Georgia. These are July, August, and September. October is a bit of a transition period, and then the market leans on the production from local greenhouses, high tunnels, and imports from Turkey. So far, imports of cucumbers and tomatoes are peaking in the current off-season. Since the start of October 2022, Georgia has imported more than 11 thousand tons of cucumbers and 17 thousand tons of tomatoes. Practically all of the imports came from Turkey. Imported volumes in 2022-2023 October-April are 44% higher for cucumbers and 60% higher for tomatoes compared to the average import volumes in the ...

Source: Hortidaily