Georgia: Potato Area Shrinks About 60% Since 2000 as Exports Jump to 43,465 Tonnes in a Quarter
Georgia grows potatoes on far less land than 25 years ago, but yields have almost doubled. In early 2025 the country suddenly became a notable exporter to Russia and Azerbaijan.
Georgia produced 221,100 tonnes of potatoes in 2024, according to the statistics office Geostat, as reported by the business portal BM.ge. This was 12.1% more than a year earlier. The average yield was 15 tonnes per hectare.
The long-run picture is one of less land and higher yields. FAOSTAT data published by Our World in Data show 302,000 tonnes in 2000 at a yield of 8.9 tonnes per hectare. This implies about 34,000 hectares. In 2024 FAOSTAT shows 221,500 tonnes at 15.8 tonnes per hectare, or about 14,000 hectares.
So the area fell by roughly 60% in 25 years, while the yield rose by about three quarters. FAOSTAT shows 228,800 tonnes in 2010, 186,500 tonnes in 2015 and 208,600 tonnes in 2020.
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A crop of the southern highlands
Most potatoes grow in the southern region of Samtskhe-Javakheti. In 2017 the regional administration said the region produced 64% of national output. The International Potato Center opened a representation in Georgia in the same period to introduce new varieties and technologies.
Harvests in the highlands depend strongly on weather. In a poor year the country imports potatoes, mainly from Russia and Belarus. In early 2023, after a weak crop, Georgia imported about 11,000 tonnes in two winter months, according to the market analyst EastFruit.
An export surge in 2025
In 2025 the direction of trade changed. In the first quarter Georgia exported 43,465 tonnes of potatoes worth US$13.46 million, according to Geostat data reported by BM.ge. In the same quarter of 2024 exports were only 1,077 tonnes. In the whole of 2024 they were 35,002 tonnes, worth US$7.5 million.
Russia took 25,705 tonnes in the first quarter of 2025. Azerbaijan took 14,528 tonnes and Armenia 2,447 tonnes. The agriculture ministry gave similar figures for January and early March, as reported by Commersant.ge.
The surge followed a larger Georgian harvest in 2024.
Why it matters
Georgia is a small producer, but it sits between larger markets in Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia. Its trade can switch from imports to exports within one season, depending on highland weather and prices in the region.
For seed suppliers, higher yields on a smaller area point to growing demand for better seed and inputs. For traders, Georgia is a flexible swing supplier in the South Caucasus.
Photo: Potato fields in the Akhurian region, Armenia (not Georgia) (illustrative). Narek Avetisyan /Narek75/ / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
