Lasha Jugheli, co-founder of the Almond and Walnut Producer Association declares, that representatives of the sector received a harvest of about 500 tons this year.
According to Lasha Jugheli, almond and walnut orchards in the country are grown mainly with the support of the state.
As he declares, seedlings of almond and walnut will be fully grown from the next year. However, small volumes of the harvest will be sent to several countries this year.
"We make a focus on the EU market and the Gulf countries. The association has developed a strategy with the participation of USAID, other donor organizations, as well as the state, which also defines export markets. Almonds and walnuts are global products. The dominant manufacturers of this product in the world are the USA, China and EU countries. They will be our competitors, "Jugheli said.
He also drew attention to the difficulties in the production of walnuts and almonds in the country and said that the main challenge is the education of the entrepreneurs.
"There are many challenges in this sector in Georgia, and the most important is knowledge. The association aims to unify the value chain of the industry in order to gain more knowledge and help industry representatives. We are communicating with scientists in the United States to exchange existing information and get more information. We are going to bring in specialists and help market participants in different areas," said the head of the Almond and Walnut Producer Association.
The Almond and Walnut Importer Association was established in 2018 and today, it has more than 30 farmers; Up to 800 manufacturers cooperate with the association.
