Vine Cries in Spring While Peasant Cries in Autumn

The grape of Kakhetiian peasants are letting rot in their vine yards, while ‘general’ Okruashvili threat them by imprisonment.

According to the Georgian Agricultural Ministry nearly fifty factories are surrender the grape, however the peasants say that they have not delivered the grape yet. They also speak about falsification of the wine. The gardener is in tears while Okruashvili is suffocated with anger-how peasants from Kiziki dared to hold a demonstration-he thinks. “If somebody wants to hold a meeting and make statements about their grape getting rot in their vine yards etc,-Okruashvili threatened the peasants on Monday at the briefing held regarding the vintage- I warn them that we should take adequate measures. Unless they give up protests, they would have to spend all their income on sending food into the prison during two years.”

“Those who have relatives neither among high-ranking officials nor in the factory are letting our grape to rot in the yards. The president and the ministries declare that the vintage is carrying out quite successfully and the peasants are getting their harvest without any problem is a lie. I have been visiting the factories for a week already, but I have not delivered my grape to any of them yet. Some of them told me they had not used their grape yet and how they could accept mine. ”I was laughed at Gurjaani Marani saying they could sell their own grape and wine to me. The others told me although they could buy my grape, the parts of the money would be paid first in December, then in April and May. You know the debt is not yours.-say the peasants from Gurjaani-Those who have a patron can take their money immediately and what can the rest do? All and the president among them say that everybody should fight against falsification of the wine; however tones of sugar have been delivered in the factories this year too. We do not know what to do; the whole harvest will be wasted like last year. The peasant can never be assisted. We are mostly worried about the fact that the government is manipulating with our misfortune during the pre-election period.” 

Despite the peasants were prohibited to hold demonstrations about the problems regarding grape realization by representatives of the local government according to the orders of law enforcement ministries, who curate ‘Vintage-2006’, the people from the village of Dzirkoki in Gurjaani District are forced to hold demonstrations to attract the Government’s attention. “Initially rain, then heat damaged the grape and it is already getting rot. Three members of my family are visiting factories and begging them to take our grape in vain-Liana Mamisashvili is furious- They say they would take empoisoned or hybrid breed grape and they offer twenty tetri for empoisoned and fifteen for hybrid one. They do not refuse Rkatsiteli as well, but they are not sure when they would pay. They say they will draw up a settlement ant the money will be apportioned anyway, however exact time is not estimated yet. We have nothing but grape; we have to buy wood for winter and food with the money we take from the grape, but what is difference between dying of hunger or being killed in prison. I should pick grape and throw them in front of the Gurjaani so called HQ which we have applied several times and nobody pays attention to us.” The vintners say in private conversations to us that because of Russian embargo on Georgian wine, a lot of grape would remain unused. Besides the embargo most of the companies have their own vine yards and do not need additional product. “We accept more grapes we need, however the problems will certainly exist, we think-vintners say. According to Giorgi Tskhakaia coordinator of the Gurjaani based coordinative HQ; set up regarding the vintage, the peasants’ statements as if they can not sell their grape is fraudulent. “The peasants have no problem of selling their grape at all and I can not say why they make such statements. The government has kept its promise about not losing even a kilo of grape. It is not a tendency but however the price is being increased-says Tskhakaia-That’s why they get rid of selling the grape. Thus it is not right that they either can not carry out vintage or somebody prevents them to hold the demonstrations. One part of the factories pay in cash, while another part takes for debt. One factory, ‘Chandari Wine Factory’ pays money gradually. The most active factories are ‘Nafareuli’, ‘Tsinandali-21st Century’, ‘Senakuri’, ‘Akura’, ‘Okami’, ‘Teliani Veli’ ‘Khirsa’, ‘Kartuli Produkti’ and several more factories. ‘Kartuli Produkti’ has the biggest demand of the grape, which is ready to accept 20 thousand tones of grape. As for price it depends on the settlement.’ He denies having information about the factories having bought tones of sugar.

The peasants do not believe Giorgi Tskhakaia’s comments. They told us that they exactly know that in the evening 16th September, 30 tones of sugar was carried into the wine factory of one of Gurjaani district villages. However they refused to name the factory for obvious reasons.

Agriculture ministry states the same as Tskhakaia that the vintage is carrying out successfully. ‘Nearly 70 thousand tones of grape has been picked and arranged. Nearly 25-30 thousand tones are left to be picked. 44factories work in the region. We think grape-problem will be solved within ten days-said Mikho Svimonishvili. However a week ago he declared that nearly 150 thousand tones of grape was expected in Kakheti. 

On Monday at the urgent briefing held in Gurjaani HQ regarding the vintage, Defense Minister Irakli Okruashvili, whom President Saakashvili called general of ‘Vintage-2006’, thanked those people who responded Saakashvili’s call by purchasing more grape than they really needed. We were in a forts major situation this year; however such organized and successful vintage as this year has never been carried out before.  Don’t you observe that no euphoria and complications have taken place?  We-Governor Petre Tsiskarishvili, Mikho and I have just left village of Vakiri. We explained to the people that we would not accept any kind of speech which is expressed by blackmailing, despite the fact whether they like the prices offered by enterprisers or no. I state if anyone wants to block the roads, hold meetings and make statements about the government who does not pay attention to them, and thus their grape is getting rot in the yards etc, I categorically warn them that adequate measures will be taken. Unless they give up the protest, they would have to spend their two-year income on sending parcel into the prison. It is our one-point position.-stated Irakli Okruashvili. This idea was shared by the Kakheti Region State Governor Petre Tsiskarishvili.

“Current vintage is really successful. Whole society has been turned into one group to fight against outer aggressors who were looking forward a disorder in Kaklheti together with their local supporters but, in vain-said Petre Tsiskarishvili-our government has worked fruitfully. The government can not interfere with prices. It is estimative by the market. Wine factories are buying grape despite cheap or expensive price, either for debt or in cash. Some problems do exist. There are people exposing their neighbors to protest, however it would not happen.”
 
Agricultural Ministry also stated at the press conference that grape is being picked in the border villages of Dedoflistskaro District. We checked the information in villages of Samtatskaro, Firosmani and Sabatlo. “The grape gets ripe here earlier than in other Kakhetian districts-say Roland Khutsishvili, Robizon Sakanelishvili and others from Samtatskaro- Every year we face the same problems, however we are given only promises. This year they bothered us before the election. They have told us several times that Gurjaani and Telavi wine factories will accept our grape, but they never say either price or the time. Meanwhile the grape has got rot; however the vintage has not started yet. Businessmen offer 19-20 tetri for one-kilo-white grape, and the price of ‘Saferavi is not more than 48 tetri. 700-800 tones grape is to be picked just in Samtatskaro. We have lost last hope. We do not care what Agricultural Ministry state. They do not let us hold meetings, because of that we have decided not to take part in 5 October elections.”

Gela Mtivlishvili, Kakheti