Two million liters of wine already exported from Georgia to Russia

13.08.2013.(Hvino News) Deliveries of Georgian wine to the Russian market are already taking place on a commercial scale, and steps to maintain the current pace of exports require decisions to be adopted by government agencies, Gennady Onishchenko, head of the Russian consumer rights watchdog Rospotrebnadzor and Russia's chief epidemiologist, told Interfax on Tuesday.

"We are already facing commercial-scale deliveries. The figure of 1,999 million tons is quite a lot," he said.

A total of 591 shipments of alcohol products have already arrived to Russia from Georgia, including 585 shipments of wine and six shipments of brandy, Onishchenko said.

The resumption of Georgian wine exports has changed nothing on the Russian market for alcoholic beverages, he said.

"Sixth-five Georgian wine producers and four producers of mineral water were allowed [to export their products to the Russian market]," he said.

"However, we still see a certain degree of stagnation in the delivery process. Georgian business is running out of steam in this sense. It has exhausted its capabilities in the absence of support from government structures. Decisions could be adopted at the level of government structures to broaden the legal corridor of possibilities to do business on Russian territory," Onishchenko said.

Russia banned imports of Georgian wine and mineral water in 2006, citing its poor quality. In early February 2013 Russia and Georgia negotiated a pattern of clearing Georgian products into the Russian market.

Rospotrebnadzor specialists conducted the first inspection of Georgian enterprises making wine and mineral water in late February and early March, and the second inspection from April 1 to April 5, 2013.

Georgia has already renewed exports of Borjomi mineral water, wine and brandy to Russia.

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