Agriculture in Georgia (country)
Georgia’s climate and soil have made agriculture one of its most productive economic sectors; in 1990, the 18 percent of arable Georgian land generated 32 percent of the republic's net material product in 1990. Since the end of the Soviet period, there has been a decline in agricultural labor force: some 25 percent of the Georgian work force was engaged in agriculture in 1990; 37 percent had been so engaged in 1970. In the Soviet period, swampy areas in the west were drained and arid regions in the east were salvaged by a complex irrigation system, allowing Georgian agriculture to expand production tenfold between 1918 and 1980. However, production was hindered in the Soviet period by the misallocation of agricultural land such as the assignment of prime grain fields to tea cultivation and excessive specialization. Georgia’s emphasis on labor-intensive crops such as tea and grapes kept the rural work force at an unsatisfactory level of productivity. As of 2011, 281,000 hectares of land were sown, representing 35.0% of the arable land;1,823,000 head of livestock were cataloged; and agri-business represented 9.3% of the national GDP. 2012 preliminary data shows agri-business contribution as 8.4% of GDP. Production In 2018 Georgia produced: 259 thousand tons of grapes; 237 thousand tons of potatoes; 194 thousand tons of maize; 107 thousand tons of wheat; 82 thousand tons of apples; 62 thousand tons of tangerines; 57 thousand tons of barley; 57 thousand tons of watermelon; 51 thousand tons of tomatoes; 33 thousand tons of cucumbers; 27 thousand tons of peaches; In addition to smaller amounts of other crops. Crops Georgia primarily grows grains: in 1993, about 85 percent of cultivated land excluding orchards, vineyards, and tea plantations, was dedicated to grains. Within that category, corn grew on 40 percent of the land, and winter wheat on 37 percent. The second most important agricultural product is grapes, which are then used to make famous Georgian wines. Georgia has one of the world's oldest and finest winemaking traditions; archeological findings indicate that wine was being made in Georgia as early as 300 B.C. Some forty major wineries were operating in 1990, and about 500 types of local wines are made. The center of the wine industry is Kakhetia in eastern Georgia. Georgia is also known for the high quality of its mineral waters. Other important crops are tea, citrus fruits, and noncitrus fruits, which account for 18.3 percent, 7.7 percent, and 8.4 percent of Georgia's agricultural output, respectively. Cultivation of tea and citrus fruit is confined to the western coastal area. Tea accounts for 36 percent of the output of the large food-processing industry, although the quality of Georgian tea dropped perceptibly under Soviet management in the 1970s and 1980s. Animal husbandry, mainly the keeping of cattle, pigs, and sheep, accounts for about 25 percent of Georgia's agricultural output, although high density and low mechanization have hindered efficiency. Until 1992 other Soviet republics bought 95 percent of Georgia's processed tea, 62 percent of its wine, and 70 percent