The Committee heard the Annual Activity Report of the National Wine Agency, which was introduced by the head, Levan Mekhuzla.

He claims that the National Wine Agency works in a number of areas to advance viticulture and winemaking, including viticulture development, Georgian wine promotion, wine quality control, harvest promotion measures, research and popularization of Georgian vine culture, and an increase in local production. The National Wine Agency has six state programs in place to help with this.

Levan Mekhuzla briefed the Committee's members on the actions taken in each direction.

He claims that initiatives to promote wine and raise awareness are ongoing in Georgian wine's key strategic markets.

He claims that despite the post-pandemic situation, 2021 was one of the successful years because wine exports to 62 countries exceeded 100 million bottles for the first time and more than 107 million certificates were granted.

Levan Mekhuzla claims that this year's exports have increased by 15% in the first nine months and that there has generally been consistent growth in this region for more than ten years, both in terms of exports and revenues. As he noted, the cadastre program is crucial for the growth of the sector. The passporting of vineyards in Kakheti and Racha has been completed, and it is intended to be finished in all of Georgia by the end of the following year.

Regarding the steps taken to boost the harvest (vintage), the rapporteur highlighted that the harvest subsidy program was active in both years and that the allotted funds from the state budget were preserved thanks to good process management and private sector engagement.

The National Wine Agency's chief responded to the Committee's inquiries and agreed to the implementation of measures for the advancement of viticulture and promotion of Georgian wine as well as for future collaboration with the Committee.

"We can confidently state that one of Georgia's successful industries is winemaking. It is crucial that wine exports take the top spot among exported goods, and the fact that goods worth more than $1 million were exported is evidence of this. It is noteworthy that Georgia shipped 107 million bottles of wine this year, the most ever. Georgian wine is available in 62 nations, and more importantly, we learned in the report today that the Agency's campaign and program are successful in the countries where we would like to see more Georgian wine sold, such as the United States of America, England, Japan, and Poland. The Committee also suggested that the report's section on expenses be in-depth. We generally give the Agency's efforts a positive evaluation", - Nino Tsilosani stated.

The Committee took note of the document.