Gold the leading export from Georgia

In January-February 2009 Georgia’s foreign trade turnover reached USD 700 million, of which exports were worth USD 136 million and imports 564 million. Georgia’s negative trade balance thus reached 428 million. Georgia has negative trade balance with 82 individual countries and positive one with 16.

The number one Georgian export is raw and semi-raw gold. In January-February exporting this commodity was worth around USD 14.9 million to Georgia. Fertilizer, at USD 14.7 million, and ferro alloys, at USD 11.5 million, were the next highest export earners.

The figures show a negative tendency in Georgian exports, which are dramatically decreasing, thus giving the opposition strong grounds for criticizing the country’s economic policy. Opposition leader Gia Maisashvili states that it is shameful that Georgia is only exporting raw materials, as this means the country is not producing anything, only consuming.