Georgia’s potato growers have decided to convert to onions for the upcoming season due to the increased profitability of onions during the June harvest time last year. Although they do not constitute a sizable portion of the overall potato production, seed potato imports have risen to their highest level since 2015. Official trade figures show that seed import volumes during the preseason from December to April were 45% more than the same period’s nine-year average. The cost of imports per kilogramme ranged from $0.80 to $1.00.
Farmers choose high-quality potatoes to satisfy market demand, and the majority of the imported seed potatoes are from Germany and the Netherlands.
Even though many farms have switched to growing onions, over 18,000 tonnes of potatoes are anticipated to be produced in 2023 from imported seed potatoes. Despite the fact that this looks like a sizable sum, it actually accounts for a small fraction of Georgia’s overall potato production, which normally ranges between 200,000 and 400,000 tonnes.
Although the seed potato imports are high this year, quality potatoes from EU seeds are not expected to take up a large share of the Georgian market. The main months for importing seeds are February, March, and April, with imports peaking in April before dropping off significantly in May. This year’s seed potato imports are noteworthy due to the increase in volume compared to the past nine years. However, the Georgian potato industry remains reliant on domestic production, despite the increase in seed potato imports.
Source: east-fruit.com, Photo by Marco Antonio Victorino: https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-pile-of-potatoes-2286776/
03 May 2023
