The Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, David Songulashvili, along with the Kakheti State Representative, Platon Kalmakhelidze, visited Gurjaani Municipality to inspect the process of storing the peach and nectarine harvest and meet with local farmers. The peach harvest season is nearing completion. The coordinated efforts of farmers and cold-storage facilities have ensured that the harvest is being stored smoothly and without disruption.

"Peach harvesting is already nearing completion. Throughout this period, the process has been quite active. Although exports were briefly disrupted for several days, coordinated efforts ensured that all challenges were promptly addressed. Most importantly, no farmer will be left with an unsold or unaccommodated harvest. This applies not only to peaches but to other crops as well. It is a key priority for the Ministry to stand by farmers as much as possible and ensure that their produce is not left without proper storage", - said David Songulashvili.

The Minister also visited the farm of local farmer Valeri Turashvili in the village of Chumlaki and familiarized himself with its operations. Turashvili family has been engaged in fruit growing for many years and currently cultivates approximately 40 hectares of peach, nectarine and other fruit orchards. In 2018, with support from the Preferential Agrocredit program, he established a cold-storage facility to store and market its produce. As the farmer said, approximately 95% of this season`s peach harvest has already been placed in storage.

Kakheti State Representative, Kalmakhelidze, highlighted the key role of cold-storage facilities in ensuring proper handling of the peach harvest, as well as the importance of state support programs.

"The storage of the peach harvest is nearing completion. The efficient operation of cold-storage facilities has played a significant role in this process. More than half of these facilities have been financed through state programs.

These opportunities have helped farmers store and market their produce without disruption. The implementation of agricultural support programs is continuing actively and, going forward, will be even more strongly focused on achieving tangible results and addressing the needs of farmers working in the sector", - said Platon Kalmakhelidze.

From May 1 through August 25, 2026, Georgia exported 20.5 thousand tonnes of peaches and nectarines, with a total value of USD 25.4 million. During this period, the average export price of peaches and nectarines was USD 1.24 per kilogram, equal to the figure recorded during the corresponding period last year.