Peaches, blueberries, and beyond — inside Georgia’s growing fruit business

As Europe’s orchards wither under extreme weather, Georgia’s fruit growers are finding their moment. Blueberries, peaches, and apples are moving into new markets, turning the country’s orchards into an unexpected export success story.

Wildfires, severe heat waves, droughts, floods, pests – for once, not nightmares for Georgia’s fruit farmers, but for growers in the EU and Turkey, whose crops have been ravaged. Spanish, French, Italian, and Greek fruit producers have reported harvest declines of 5–25% this year.

This has opened opportunities for Georgian growers. The crop shortfalls abroad have created space in highly competitive international fruit markets, and the numbers show Georgian producers are taking advantage. Not only are they gaining from exporting more, but demand and climate impacts are pushing up prices everywhere this year, including in Georgia’s domestic market. Geostat recently reported that while overall consumer inflation rose by an annual 4.6% in August, prices for lemons jumped 99%, plums 82%, peaches 62%, and some watermelons even doubled.

Georgian exporters are building on their excellent performance in 2024, when overall consignments reached a value of $236 million, a 14% increase YoY. Russia continues to be the primary market for Georgian soft fruit exports, including apples, peaches, nectarines, and blueberries.

However, according to the international horticultural news platform EastFruit, “high logistical risks, inconsistent customs procedures, a lack of legal safeguards, and a volatile Russian market, are pushing exporters to look westward to the EU. When prices are comparable, the EU’s greater market transparency, legal predictability, and lower risk of non-payment can tip the scales in its favor, despite the challenges of meeting EU certification standards.” Key destinations include Poland, Italy, Spain, Germany, and France.

While Georgian vegetable production is shrinking, fruit farming has surged, with companies scaling up and many new ones entering the sector. A survey carried out by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization two years ago found that Georgia had approximately 2,700 agricultural companies operating across the broader agriculture sector. Of these, just seven were large enterprises and 32 were medium-sized; the rest were small-scale operators unable to export on their own. Helping drive increased production is the activity of growers’ associations and the forming of new cooperatives, with the former helping to bring in international consultants.

Also boosting local crop production is investment by the larger and successful groups and associations in high-tech greenhouses, and the planting of new orchards. Working jointly, growers are building export momentum, showing their wares at international fairs and selling into a widening range of countries. The government is also driving increased production through funding and development initiatives, such as in irrigation, cold storage, and processing infrastructure under its Plant the Future Program.

Online agricultural platforms are also raising Georgia’s profile abroad, with market reports available on portals such as EastFruit, FreshPlaza, HortiDaily, btai.ge, Intellinews, and Georgia’s own Agri Bulletin.

Blueberries lead the way

In terms of growth, blueberries continue to be one of Georgia’s star products. Nearly all the blueberries grown in Georgia are destined for export, particularly among major commercial growers who are the main members of the Georgia Blueberry Growers Association (GBGA). Tornike Phanjavidze, the president and founder of GBGA and the CEO of the largest blueberry orchard in the country, told a press conference that the association’s 22 farmers have 1,000 hectares planted and are expanding fast.

The main export markets for these blueberries are in the European Union. “We have exported to Germany and Poland, spoken with the UK and negotiated with Spain. But, we are also exporting to Gulf countries, such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia,” Phanjavidze said. And for the first time, Georgian blueberries are about to enter the Indian market.

The organization’s growers represent over 40% of Georgia’s blueberry production and 70% of large commercial orchards. Last year, they exported 600 tons and expect that figure to rise to over 1,000 tons this year. “The orchards are very new, around 1-2 years old, so about 40% of our hectares were not in production last year. They are still growing,” Phanjavidze said. The association is also expanding the country’s production area, now focused on the western regions, to widen the export window by bringing in eastern areas.

He added: “We are working with consultants from Chile and Peru to help us move forward. Additionally, to improve the quality of our fruit, we work with European and South American agronomists. Since we have such a young industry, farmers must have access to the knowledge.” One of the association’s roles is “to connect farmers with specialists, provide training programs, and facilitate exports.”

Georgia as a whole has 3,000 hectares of blueberry plantations, exported over 4,000 tons last year—and this year the figure could be 6,000 tons.

Stone fruits and apples

In Georgia’s 2025 stone fruit season, peach and nectarine exports reached 19,200 tons, generating $23.4 million in revenue—a 15% increase in volume and 22% increase in value YoY. Prices were 6% higher than in 2024. The primary market was Russia, followed by Ukraine. The Georgian government is now considering implementing minimum import price regulations to protect the domestic market from cheap imports. Key growth drivers included favorable weather, the establishment of new orchards, and efforts to diversify markets beyond traditional trading partners, though challenges remain in accessing markets like the EU.

Apple exports surged by over 600% in volume and value between January and July 2025 compared to the same period in the previous year, with over 10,700 tons, worth $6.7 million, exported. Shida Kartli is the country’s leading area for stone fruit production. However, apple and pear cultivation have also seen strong development. “Pome fruit (apples, pears, and quince) cultivation may be even more profitable,” says Irakli Merkvilishvili in an interview with FreshPlaza. He is CEO of AgroCom, a company that imports and supplies horticultural inputs ranging from tractors and agricultural machinery to irrigation systems, crop protection, seeds, and planting material.

Merkvilishvili is also a grower, with 16 hectares of land producing various pome and stone fruit varieties.  He works closely with agronomists, including experts from Italy, to advise growers on orchard establishment and management. “Professional apple orchards in Georgia can yield between 65 and 70 tons per hectare, thanks to high-density planting systems with 4,000 to 4,500 trees per hectare, supported by modern irrigation and crop protection,” Irakli told FreshPlaza. “Initial setup costs are significant—€50,000 to €60,000 per hectare, not counting land prices, which range from €7,000 to €13,000 per hectare.”

Since nearly all of Georgia’s apple crop is sold domestically or in Russia, GlobalGAP (an international quality assurance system) certification is still limited—only about 3% of orchard area is certified. But more growers should aim for certification. It significantly improves orchard management quality,” advocates Merkvilishvili.

Cherries and peaches

Georgia’s cherry harvest begins in May in the eastern region of Kakheti and in June and July, the focus shifts to central regions like Imereti and Shida Kartli. In 2024, total cherry production was 6,200 tons, with 262 tons exported—mostly to Russia. “Cherry yields are highly weather-dependent. This year (2025), spring frost devastated crops in Shida Kartli. Effective frost protection, such as sprinklers and wind machines, remains costly. Nonetheless, acreage is growing—especially for early-season cherries, which can fetch up to €5 per kilo,” says Merkvilishvili. Establishing a cherry orchard with 1,200 to 1,800 trees per hectare costs around €35,000.

Peaches are the fastest growing sector, with almost three-quarters destined for export, mostly to Russia.  “Establishment costs are relatively low, at €10,000 to €15,000 per hectare,” Merkvilishvili said. Peach growers also benefit from government and EU support, and previously from U.S. funded programs. “Early varieties are shipped straight (to Russia) by truck. Later-season varieties are sold on the domestic market.” Russia, by contrast, produces only 43,000 tons of peaches per year, according to the United Nations Food & Agriculture Organization. “Still, competition from Turkey is intense between June and August,” he adds.

Imports still significant

Despite export successes, Georgia still imports a considerable amount of its fruit—$143 million worth in 2024, up 40% from 2023. Georgia sourced its imported fruit from 60 countries, with Ecuador, Turkey, the United States, Iran, and several CIS nations as primary suppliers. The Netherlands (mostly as a transit hub) accounted for 5% of Georgia’s foreign fruit supply, while other EU countries collectively provided a similar share.

Despite the importance of tomatoes in its cuisine, Georgia relies heavily on imports, with the value up by 14% in the first five months of 2025 as the average import price per kilo escalated from $0.60 a kilo to $0.71, excluding taxes. Turkey supplied over 93% of this. Reports on the Georgian tomato market, such as from BTAI, the analytical platform of the Business and Technology University, attribute tiny domestic production to “a lack of modern greenhouse technology and irrigation infrastructure, financial constraints for farmers, and a competitive gap with imported products.”

The established success story of Georgian blueberries and the growing success of new peach production show the potential for growing the country’s fruit business. A report from the UN Food & Agriculture Organization sets out the necessary steps, but they will not be made easily:  “to increase fruit production … Georgia can improve irrigation infrastructure by restoring and upgrading systems, adopt precision agriculture technologies to optimize yields and reduce waste, invest in R&D for climate-resilient crop varieties, and expand access to financial tools like insurance and credit for farmers. “Additionally, strengthening cold storage and processing facilities, developing cooperatives for marketing and value-added products.” Money is needed. No wonder the report adds that “government subsidy programs are crucial for boosting output and farmer livelihoods.”