The Georgian Competition and Consumer Agency (GCCA) has concluded the monitoring of the market for berries, conducted between 2020 and 2024. The initiative was launched following requests from local farmers to assess the competitive environment.
Exports +660% in 4 years
Between 2020 and the first ten months of 2024, both the volume and the value of blueberry exports registered significant increases. Export quantities grew by 660%, rising from 654 tons in 2020 to 4,969 tons in the first ten months of 2024. The value of exports increased by 595%, from 11.4 million GEL (approximately 4.1 million Euros) in 2020 to 78.42 million GEL (approximately 28.2 million Euros) in 2024.
This positive trend remained consistent year-on-year. From 2020 to 2022, the export market was classified as low-concentrated. In 2023-2024, the concentration index slightly exceeded the threshold for a low-concentrated market, still indicating a relatively competitive environment where no small group of companies dominates the market.
In 2024, 51 companies were involved in the export of blueberries. Market dynamics are characterized by frequent changes among the leading companies and in the composition of the top five exporting companies on an annual basis. The market share held by the top five companies ranged between 54% and 63% during the period 2020-2024.
Competitiveness and diversification
No company holds a dominant position in the market, and the necessary conditions to establish collective dominance, such as significant market shares, are not met. Most exports in 2024 (approximately 86%) were directed to the Russian Federation. However, a positive trend toward market diversification was observed, with increasing volumes of blueberries exported to European countries.
Based on the GCCA's assessment, no risks of competition law violations were identified at the export level of the blueberry market. Consequently, there is no justification for continuing monitoring for ongoing observation.
The evaluation considered factors such as the market concentration index and its changes, the distribution of market shares among the main companies, and other elements examined during the monitoring. Overall, the GCCA positively assesses the competitive environment of the blueberry market for the period 2020–2024 (including October 2024).
Source: GCCA
Photo: Marco Butera - Erik Veenman
