Georgia’s Promising Exports Items for Japanese Market
As noted by the Japanese Ambassador to Georgia Tadaharu Uehara, Georgian products need valuably-prepared marketing and branding strategy to find a niche in the Japanese market.
In his interview for BMG and Forbes Georgia, the diplomat noted that the value strategy is necessary for Georgian wines to succeed in the Japanese market.
The ambassador stressed the importance of Georgia's wines in the context of Georgia’s exports to Japan.
“We support Georgian wine exports growth. Japan is a huge market of wine lovers. Fifty years ago, a few Japanese citizens used to drink wine. On average, 180 million liters of wines are sold in Japan a year. This is the biggest market. Therefore, I believe Georgian wine has much potential on this market. How can we achieve this? This is the most important issue. How can Georgian wine penetrate Japan? You are beginners in this regard. Georgian wines are less-known in Japan”, the Japanese Ambassador noted.
Besides the Georgian wines, the Ambassador also talked about Georgian products that have big prospects on the Japanese market. He outlined honey, as one of the similar products.
"If considering agricultural products, my spouse appreciates Georgian honey. Regretfully, honey is a heavy product and we cannot take many volumes of Georgian honey for our friends…. Georgia should satisfy food safety requirements. I believe it is very important to make progress in this regard and increase the competitive capacity of Georgian products on the developed markets”, the Japanese Ambassador noted.
According to official statistics, Georgia’s exports to Japan in 2019 constituted $12,325,500, down $1 million compared to 2018.