May 22 2006, 10:19

Georgian farmers started harvesting early potato

According to Constantine Kobakhidze, the Agricultural Manager of AgVantage project, this year the season for early potato has started mid May despite of spring frosts. This date approximately corresponds to the time early potato entered the market past year. Early varieties IMPALA and NEVSKIY make around 80% of the gross potato production in the country.

It concerns only small shipments of small-sized early potato for about $ 0.50-0.65/kg. As we have already informed, spring frosts killed a large part of early potato harvest in Georgia and delayed potato ripening for approximately two weeks. That's why first wholesale shipments of Georgian early potato will enter markets not sooner than June 10th - 15th.

To the opinion of Mr. K. Kobakhidze, about 55% of this year harvest will be a first-class potato (which fits to fresh market requirements). The expert thinks that the wholesale potato price will decline down to $ 0.13-0.16/kg at the beginning of harvesting season. Such a dramatic price decrease for early potato is forecasted to happen mid June; it is caused by the banned produce import, including potato import, from Georgia to Russian market.

A major part of the produced early potato was traditionally exported abroad, and Russia was a main sales market for Georgian early potato. The search for the alternative sales markets is necessary to hold the price and prevent it from declining even lower than the AgVantage expert prognosed. If the wholesale price for early potato is about $0.1/kg, the supplies of this commodity to Ukrainian market will be potentially possible mid June.