| Feb 28 2002 | Georgia: Rebound for 2001/02 Wheat, Favorable Prospects for 2002/03 |
Georgian grain production for 2001/02 rebounded with vigor from the previous season's drought, with output reaching 0.7 million tons (including 0.3 million tons of wheat), against 0.4 million in 2000/01. Early prospects are favorable for 2002/03 winter grains, with adequate winter precipitation recharging soil-moisture reserves.
Georgia is situated in the Caucasus mountains and is surrounded by Russia to the north, Azerbaijan to the east, and Armenia and Turkey to the south. Much of the country is mountainous, and the agricultural areas are located largely in the lower elevations in the eastern and western regions of the country. Corn traditionally has been Georgia's chief grain crop, typically comprising roughly half of total grain area and two-thirds of total grain production. Winter wheat occupies roughly 30 percent of area and 25 percent of output. (View current USDA estimates of Georgian grain production.)
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| Mar 27 2002 | Georgia: March Rainfall Reverses Regional Dryness |
Satellite imagery and weather data indicate that persistent localized dryness has likely had a negative impact on winter wheat in eastern Georgia. Crops in the west, meanwhile, have benefited from generally favorable weather. This is consistent with a recent report, from the Interfax new agency, of significant damage to winter crops in the eastern agricultural region.
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| Sep 24 2002 | Georgia: Early Prospects Favorable for Winter Wheat |
Establishment conditions for the 2003/04 winter wheat crop, following frequent precipitation during August and September that has replenished soil moisture reserves, are good. In 2002/03, wheat output dropped to an estimated 200,000 tons, from 300,000 tons the previous year, due chiefly to unfavorable establishment conditions last fall (see March report), followed by persistent dryness and high winds in eastern Georgia as the crop was emerging from dormancy. According to local reports, the damage was most severe in the Kakhetia region, which typically produces 50 percent of the country's wheat; in some areas the wheat crop was completely destroyed. Satellite-derived vegetative indices reflect the effect of the dryness, but also indicate that the crop recovered to some degree over the next two months. Meanwhile, 2002/03 corn output is forecast to increase by over 30 percent, to 400,000 tons. The corn crop benefited from above-normal precipitation during the growing season, in sharp contrast to last year when summer dryness reduced yield. Total Georgian grain production for 2002/03 is estimated at 0.7 million tons, essentially unchanged from last year.
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| Nov 24 2003 | Georgia: Crop Production |
The USDA estimates Georgian grain production for 2003/04 at nearly 0.7 million tons, including 0.2 million wheat and 0.4 million corn. Unfavorable weather, including severe winter frosts and heavy rain during the harvest campaign, dashed early-season hopes of a rebound from a disappointing crop in 2002/03, when persistent dryness hampered crop establishment and wheat output fell to 0.2 million tons from 0.3 million in 2001/02. (Wheat yield reached a ten-year high in 2001/02 due to the combination of favorable weather and increased technical assistance from international organizations in the form of high-quality planting seed, equipment, fertilizer, and fuel.) According to USDA estimates, Georgia imports roughly 0.4 million tons of wheat annually. Corn production for 2003/04 benefited from generally favorable weather, for the second consecutive year, and output is forecast to match last year's 0.4 million tons. The country imports virtually no corn, and roughly 75 percent of domestic production is used for feed.
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