Wheat harvest might decrease

Agricultural analysts suggest that agricultural production in Georgia will decrease. In 2009 the country produced 80,000 tonnes of wheat but according to estimates only half that will be produced in 2010.

It should be added that more than 90% of the country’s demand for wheat is met by imports. Every year Georgia imports up to 700,000 tonnes of wheat and flour.

50% of Georgia's wheat is grown in the Kakheti region. This year the Kakheti wheat fields have been afflicted by natural disasters and in some places farmers are not planning to bring in the harvest at all as this will not allow them to break even. Overall Georgia's wheat production is decreasing dramatically as it is very costly to grow it and people prefer to import wheat cheaply from abroad rather than buy it locally. Unless some radical changes are made to revive the sector the wheat growing tradition of Georgia will die out.