Blueberry prices in Georgia have experienced a decline as the harvesting season approaches its peak. The head of the Blueberry Producers’ Association of Georgia, Torninke Panjavidze, in conversation with EastFruit, has reported that the average wholesale price of blueberries is currently around $4-$5 per kilogram, with expectations of further decrease to $2-$3 per kilogram in the upcoming weeks.
However, the harvesting process may face obstacles due to rainy weather forecasted for the western regions of Georgia in the next three days. This could potentially lead to a temporary shortage in the market. Nevertheless, Panjavidze assures that after this period, there will be an excess supply of blueberries, resulting in a sharp decline in prices.
The association members are preparing to export 44 tons of blueberries to Germany in the supermarket chains REWE and Edeka Group this week alone, with the first shipment scheduled for Tuesday. Each container carries 11 tons of blueberries. The association has taken measures to ensure efficient transportation by hiring two drivers to minimize the time spent on the road and reach the destination maximum in 5 days. Once the first container reaches its destination and satisfies buyers’ requirements, the association plans to expand exports, potentially reaching up to 70 tons per week.
Panjavidze highlights the involvement of a representative from the buyer who is currently in the Samegrelo region, personally inspecting the quality of the blueberries before exporting. Since this is the first season of exporting blueberries to European markets for the association, Panjavidze considers it a “testing” year and anticipates gaining valuable insights into the export processes to better prepare for future seasons.
One of the significant challenges faced by blueberry producers in the process of exporting is the absence of a laboratory in Georgia to test for pesticide residues in blueberry samples. As a result, farmers are sending samples to European laboratories by post, which currently takes more than a week to obtain results. Panjavidze emphasizes the importance of addressing this issue and mentions two potential solutions: establishing a branch of a European laboratory in Georgia or negotiating with the postal company to prioritize the transportation of blueberry samples, East-Fruit reports.
