This figure does not take into account private production, which by 1993 occupied more than half of agricultural land. With a long growing season and some areas of sub-tropical climate, citrus, a variety of deciduous fruits, vegetables, vine crops, tea, cereals, sunflower and a wide range of field crops are highly productive. Much of the milk from cattle and sheep is used to make cheese. Yields have generally been far below their production potential, due to the failure to use modern technologies. Of the 6.9 million hectares of land in Georgia, 3.2 million are arable.
Intensification is very important in future production on available land.
In the past, about 90 percent of fruit and vegetable production went to other parts of the FSU in exchange for various commodities and goods. Like much of the Georgian economy, agriculture has been severely disrupted by the breakdown of the centrally-planned economy. In spite of these difficulties, privatization of farmland and the agribusiness sector is moving forward. More than 50 percent of farmland has been at least informally privatized. It is anticipated that many state farm employees will retain a significant portion of ownership rights.