TBILISI, August 13. /TASS/. The development of the wine industry will allow Georgia to receive $1 bln annually from exports of its products by 2031, Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Garibashvili said on Friday.

The Prime Minister said that according to the plan the government will achieve a target of $1 bln in terms of revenue from wine exports, the government press service noted. The head of government discussed the current situation in the industry with winemakers, planned and already implemented projects for the development of the sector.

At a meeting with winemakers, Garibashvili recalled that after 2012 the grape harvest increased from 52,000-300,000 tonnes, and new vineyards were planted on an area of 6,400 hectares.

According to the Georgian National Wine Agency, in 2019 the republic exported around 94 mln bottles worth $240 mln. In 2020, these statistics were not kept due to the coronavirus pandemic. From January to July 2021, the country exported up to 55 mln bottles to 58 countries of the world, which is 12% more than last year. The total cost of products was $125 mln, which is 9% more than in 2020. The largest buyers were Russia (over 33 mln bottles), Ukraine (over 6.4 mln bottles), and Poland (over 3.2 mln bottles).