Borjomi ‘flows’ to Russia

Even though the import of Borjomi mineral water was banned in Russia in 2006 it is still making its way to the Russian market via Belarus. Chief Russian Sanitary Officer Genady Onishenko stated on April 20 that large quantities of Borjomi mineral water were detected in Russia which had entered this market through Belarus. He also mentioned that there are certain cases when Borjomi water arrives in the Russian market directly from Georgia and that means that the customs checkpoint and border systems are not being controlled appropriately. In April this year Belarus stated that starting from July 1, 2011 all the controlling systems will be abolished on Russian-Belarus border, therefore Borjomi could appear in Russia in even bigger quantities. After the embargo on Borjomi and the country's wine, Georgia is losing USD 35-40 mln annually.