Russia resumes exports to Georgia
Following talks with the head of Russian veterinary watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor Sergey Dankvert, Zurab Chekurashvili, head of the Georgian delegation and the director of the National Agency for Food of Georgia, told journalists in Moscow:
“In two to three weeks, Georgia will be able to restore trade relations with Russia for agricultural products," he said.
“Final agreement on the terms of delivery will be completed within two to three weeks. At the same time, the supply of Georgian agricultural products will be resumed. The agreement will be bilateral, so Russia will also be able to deliver mostly animal products – meat and dairy – to Georgia."
Mutual advantage
Industry experts believe that opening up the Georgian market will have important consequences for the Russian meat industry.
“Georgia imports a significant amount of meat for consumption – about half the volume needed – and most of it is of very poor quality. In Russia, the price for meat is minimal at the moment, so it could very quickly fill any free niches in Georgia and displace most of the importers, leaving space only for poultry meat from the US and lamb from Armenia,” said Russian agricultural analyst Eugene Gerden.
In recent years, Georgia has faced several scandals over claims that some companies imported cheap meat from India and Africa, which was of poor quality and, during laboratory studies, found to be dangerous to consumers. Experts noted that the supply from these countries is likely to stop completely in the near future, as Russia can offer meat products at the same price, but of a much higher quality.
