Skopje, 25 August 2023 (MIA) – North Macedonia is ranked 13 in terms of FX inflow from wine exports, said Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy Ljupcho Nikolovski on Friday.

During a visit to the Kamnik Winery, the Minister said the quality of Macedonian wine has improved, with lots of new brands, and that the export of bottled wine is also on the rise.

The Minister announced the adoption of the new ten-year strategy for, he said, “an even greater development of the wine sector.”

"These are excellent results for a small country such as ours that competes with far bigger countries. In 2022, we had an FX inflow of almost USD 60 million. Our analysis shows that over the years we have managed to maintain production and vineyards, while at the same time increasing the value of exported wine. For example, in 2021 and 2022 we exported approximately the same amount of wine, but in 2021 the FX inflow amounted to around EUR 50 million, and almost EUR 60 million in 2022, which means exports increased EUR 10 million in a single year. This is due to the quality of wine and the increased exports of bottled wine, as well as to the many new brands currently conquering foreign markets. We should keep up the good work, and increase the quality of produced wine grapes so that we can have wine of even higher quality,” Nikolovski said.

He also pointed out that in the past seven years, from 2026 until 2022, winemakers and wineries were paid almost EUR 90 million on various grounds, and in just one year, two thirds of that amount were restored back in the budget.

"This explains why we pay such special attention to this sector, and justifies the funds we’ve provided to winemakers and wineries. I would like to sincerity thank our winemakers and wineries, big or small, that contribute to the growth of the domestic economy, and that with support from the Ministry's measures and policies we have managed to make history within the wine sector. We are proud of the Macedonian wine. The greatest promoter of our country, the loudest and most direct marketing for our country. It clearly and strongly reflects the success of our strategy, with which the wine sector experienced revolutionary development. Today we have over 200 wineries, when only a few years ago we had 30. We are no longer invisible in the global world of wine, on the contrary, we shine bright and anyone following wine parameters will be seeing the name North Macedonia more often," Nikolovski stressed.

The Minister said he expects the new law on wine, which, he said, is fully harmonized with the directives, to be adopted. ssh/ad/

Photo: MIA