Mechanical harvesting in Georgian gardens

Lack of labor in Georgia's agricultural sector worries many farmers during the harvest season. Large farmers are more likely to find the workers they need than small ones, but hiring seasonal workers has become more expensive for everyone this year. Some growers see mechanized harvesting as a solution to this problem.

Agrarians named immigration of working-age citizens as the main reason for the labor shortage. According to official statistics, the rural population in Georgia has decreased by 8% over the past 10 years. Local residents prefer to travel to other countries in search of seasonal work, in search of higher salaries and stable jobs.

Farmers report a 15-29% increase in pickers' daily wages in 2021 compared to 2020. In particular, in the Kakheti region, daily wages have increased from 30-35 lari last year to 35-45 lari (11-14 USD) this season. Wages have also increased in the Samegrelo region, where the hazelnut harvesting season is at its peak. At the start of the season, the daily wage in Samegrelo was 35 GEL, but now some farmers are paying 50 GEL (US $ 16) as the demand for labor has risen sharply. Labor shortages have also been a problem for the berry growers, who have already completed their main season this year.

Since harvesting is the most labor-intensive process on the farm, mechanization may be a solution for some growers. In orchards where harvesting is still done by hand, producers of stone fruits, apples and berries (other than blueberries) are less likely to mechanize harvesting in the near future. Most likely, large producers of hazelnuts and blueberries are investing in harvesting machines in Georgia.

One of these farmers is the hazelnut producer Tengiz Dolidze from the Samegrelo region. He is an average farmer with a 20-hectare orchard, but believes that even with a medium-sized production, it is worth investing in harvesters.

“The cost of a hazelnut harvester depends on its specifics and country of production. There are Italian cars on the market that cost 7-10 thousand euros. With a smaller budget, you can buy Turkish ones. These combines can replace 35 workers per day and will last 15-20 years. Considering seasonal labor costs, the investment in a harvester pays off financially. I will definitely buy it next season,” Dolidze said.

Dolidze has a five-year walnut orchard and has two more years left until full maturity. Now he needs 20 workers for two weeks to harvest. He pays GEL 50 per day for each employee. Dolidze explained that labor costs will increase in the coming seasons as the orchards mature.

According to the head of the Farmers' Union, Otar Sherozia, which brings together 18 commercial hazelnut growers in Georgia with a total of 1,960 hectares of orchards, almost a third of their members are already using a harvester or are about to invest in it. Otar Sherozia himself owns a 50 hectare walnut orchard, planted 5 years ago. He is considering buying a harvester in two years time, when the farm is fully productive.

In addition to hazelnut growers, Georgia's largest blueberry farm GeorgianBlue is also going to test the harvester next season. The company owns 35 hectares of blueberry orchards and plans to further expand its production. With the company's plans to expand and increase harvests each year, it will be nearly impossible for them to mobilize the required number of pickers in the near future, as they will need to hire hundreds of people in a short period of time.

“Starting next year, we plan to test the harvester in some areas of our farm. Despite the hilly terrain, about half of the gardens can be cleaned by machines. We hope to harvest high quality blueberries that will be acceptable to the fresh market, but first we need to test how they will work with the varieties we have. Last year we planted 4 hectares of new orchards with different varieties suitable for machine harvesting,” Morchiladze said.

Mechanized harvesting is only one component of agricultural mechanization. Many growers in Georgia have already mechanized other orchard-growing operations to employ fewer workers. For example, in many apple and stone fruit orchards in Georgia, watering, fertilizing, and post-pruning branch management are mechanized, but harvesting and pruning is still done by hand.