In the coming days, the first container with 20 tonnes of apples from the Georgian producer Tirifoni Fruits will be exported to Dubai (UAE).
The delivery is organized by Eximcrop under a joint memorandum signed by Eximcrop, Tiriphoni Fruits LLC, and the USAID Agricultural Program in December 2021, to promote the diversification of Georgian apple export markets. The USAID Agricultural Program covered part of the expenses of the Georgian producer and logistics costs, including placing the products in a warehouse in Dubai.
Eximcrop is
an international technology company with dual jurisdiction (USA and Estonia), developing an online platform for international trade in agricultural and food products and providing a wide range of services to help producers and traders. In particular, the company provides a full cycle of fulfillment, which includes warehousing, customer acquisition, organization of tastings, and local distribution.
As Vakhtang Gogaladze, co-founder and CEO of Eximcrop, said in an interview with EastFruit, the export of a batch of apples from Georgia planned for next week is an important event, due to several factors at once.
“Let’s start with the fact that this is the first-ever large shipment of apples from Georgia to the countries of the Persian Gulf. We believe that Georgian apples have a huge potential in this market. On the other hand, deliveries to these countries will help to diversify the markets for Georgian apples, more than 98% of which are traditionally exported to Russia. Besides political issues and instability, due to the sanctions imposed because of the war in Ukraine, the Russian market is characterized by less solvency. Also, according to our data, the new orchards planted in Russia, in particular, in the North Caucasus and the Krasnodar Territory (these are tens of thousands of hectares), will enter full fruiting in 2-3 years, and the former demand for Georgian apples will no longer exist (the situation is similar with blueberries).
It is important that Georgian apples are packed individually for the first time – they are placed in bushels with trays (100 apples in each), and such packaging meets UAE standards (unlike plastic boxes, as they are sold in some countries, including Russia).
In addition, when storing apples in the Tiriphoni Fruits refrigeration complex, the Smart Fresh quality assurance system is used, which allows keeping apples fresh long. It is also the Dubai market standard.
All factors taken together give us a reason to hope for successful sales of Georgian apples in the Dubai market,” he said.
For more information: east-fruit.com