Kakha Shavadze, the founder of the mandarin exporting company "Adjara Trading Group" notes that they have been wanting to enter the European market for a long time, but the business needs support from the state.
"We can't enter the European market because there are many hindering factors. The ultimate goal is to establish ourselves in the European market, but we are not able to do it alone. Support from the state is important. Georgian exporters face a lot of bureaucracy in the European market. For example, customs in Europe do not trust our phytosanitary documents, which causes perishable products to be delayed by an average of one week, which is fatal for our business.
In Georgia, everyone should work, only one company is not enough. The local embassies should help so that the documentation provided by us is recognized and there are no question marks, as a result, the products will no longer be delayed at the customs and the products will not spoil," explained Kakha Shavadze.
As for the price, according to the exporter, tangerine prices will increase both in the local market and in export countries this year.
"If last year the price of tangerines on the local market ranged from 70 tetri to 1 GEL, this year it will be 10-15% higher. And the wholesale price in the export market was USD 1, now it will be USD 1.30. This year's price increase is caused by the high quality of the harvest and its scarcity, and the price is also determined by the increased logistics. If a year ago, shipments cost USD 3,000, now they cost USD 5,000." - explained Shavadze.
