Greens criticize agriculture situation

Leader of the Green Party Gia Gachechiladze has criticized the Rose Revolution administration’s policy in the agriculture sector which he says has brought devastating results. He has supported his case with some figures which he says were deliberately concealed from the population by the Department of Statistics.

According to these figures the amount of cultivated vineyards has decreased from 150,000 hectares to 37,000 hectares since 2003. As wine is one of the successful agricultural sectors this situation is very threatening. Based on the same data the potato cultivating areas have decreased by 70%, those for corn and beans by 60%, for vegetables by 30% and sunflowers by 50%, this decreasing the amount of sunflower oil available. Beef production has decreased by 60%, milk by 22% and lamb by 50% since 2003.

Gia Gachechiladze believes all this is the result of the administration’s ill-designed policy, which damages state interests. Gachechiladze thinks that the destruction of Georgian agriculture has been deliberately planned to serve the interests of importers. Since 2003 potato imports in Georgia have increased 6.5 fold and vegetables imports 11 fold. The overall import of agricultural products has increased 4 fold.

The Green Party leader thinks that very low quality agricultural produce is imported into the country today and is sold at cheap prices, despite damaging health.