Will industry save Georgia?

Exactly 10 years ago the political party Industry Will Save Georgia was founded by entrepreneur Gogi Topadze, owner of the Kazbegi Brewery. Topadze has now left active politics however and the party is led by Zurab Tkemaladze.

On the tenth anniversary of the organization’s founding Tkemaladze states that the country is in a dire economic situation. Imports exceed exports sevenfold, very few food products are produced in Georgia and the processing industry is not sufficiently active.

According to Tkemaladze the import of food is promoted by the Georgian leadership. “Unfortunately tax legislation and ideology have been formulated to reflect the idea that it is better to import than produce,” states Tkemaladze. He says importers bring into the country mostly very cheap, low quality, genetically modified products and sell these at high prices because the Anti-Monopoly Service is not functioning properly. Local production cannot compete, and is being deliberately stifled.

The leader of the ‘Industrialists’ has a solution: a Georgian national economic policy should be elaborated, and by Georgians, not foreigners. “We need Georgian-oriented leadership in Georgia,” states Tkemaladze.