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Farmers need 500-550 GEL to cultivate one hectare of land

Rezonansi reports that the cost of tilling a hectare of land is increasing annually for Georgian farmers. According to agricultural specialists, a farmer needs 500-550 GEL in order to cultivate one hectare of land. Approximately 220 GEL is required for special fertilizers and 150 GEL for fuel, along with the cost of seeds.

Furthermore, 70% of land in regional areas is already cultivated; this has reduced the annual agricultural production of crops since 2006. Nearly 80% of farmers cannot generate enough money to cultivate their land, according to agricultural expert Paata Koghuashvili. "If there will not be some benefits established, soon it will be impossible to cultivate the land," he says.

Farmers generally use traditional techniques for cultivation, which require less capital.



Euro-2020 in Georgia?

During his visit to Baku, President Mikheil Saakashvili announced that Georgia and Azerbaijan will submit a joint bid to host the European Football Championship in 2020. Rezonansi spoke with two notable Georgians to get their perspective.

"In order to establish this initiative, there must be some special problems solved first. The infrastructure must be in order. The country where this tournament will be hosted must be interesting not only for the players, but also for the audience, who will visit the country," said Zviad Koridze, a media specialist.

"These countries must have the ability to meet them and be good hosts. No matter how strong the administration is, the football infrastructure always develops in those countries with high democratic qualities and competition in business," he added.

"In this case, there will be many interested organizations who will want to invest in these huge football circles," Koridze continued. "I think Georgia and Azerbaijan have to do a lot to attract UEFA's attention and make them discuss this proposal. According to today's situation in the democratic field and football infrastructure, neither of these countries is ready for the proposal".

Film producer Giorgi Shengelaia disagrees. "This is a proven proposal. The same tournament is conducted by Ukraine and Poland. It is quite possible that Euro 2020 could be hosted in Georgia or Azerbaijan. It is in the UEFA's interests to expand the area of football and put a large amount of money into the construction of infrastructure," he said. "It will be great if Georgia and Azerbaijan host the European Championship. It is difficult to say how realistic it is; this will depend on if the stadiums in these countries satisfy international standards."