Price on Salt Increased from 40 Tetri up to One Lari-Peaople Are Afraid of Starvation

The price of food has increased 6.0 percent during last nine months in Georgia. For poor families these increased prices push them closer to starvation.

The price of flour and bread has noticeably increased, which representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture explain is a result of shortages of wheat on the world market. Prices have also increased on other essential products. Between August and September of 2007, the price of garlic increased by 25, 9 %, on egg-plant by 17, 6%; on corn flour by 7,3% and on  buckwheat by 7, 3%. In late September, the price on the salt increased by 2, 5 %, pushing the price up from forty tetri to one lari.

“I could never imagine that I would have to pay one lari for a box of salt. But it’s the same situation with almost everything. Now you have to pay 3, 5 lari for a bottle of oil instead of 2, 5” said Tamar Beridze.

The main importer of salt in Samtskhe-Javakheti Region is Pavle Saanishvili, the head of “Otsneba Ltd”. He connected the increased salt prices to elections in Ukraine from where the salt is imported. “During the parliamentary elections in Ukraine, we could not import salt. Thus, the price increased.”

The International Currency Fund (ICF) has concluded that the rise in prices is caused by increased demand on products. People, however, claim that increased prices are the reason for any increase in demand on products.
“When you cannot buy anything but bread and macaroni to eat, you have to be satisfied with only pasties. If they do not raise prices on food, everything will be in great demand. In similar situation I will eat sausage on one day, on the next day I would eat sour cream and live perfectly,” said Eliso Kurtanidze.

Economist Rezo Andguladze thinks that the main reason for increased prices is a small harvest this year.
“An increase in prices is caused by several things. The demand on production is the same but higher prices result in a deficit of the products available.”

There are four members in the Beridzse family. Only their elder daughter works and her salary is 70 lari. At least 200 lari a month is now necessary for a family to eat normal food. Their family manages to live on Nana’s salary but cannot think of what their future holds.

“We need 30 lari to buy two loaves of bread a day. In addition to that we need sugar, oil and macaroni. We buy food for credit during the month and I pay the debt when I receive my salary. After the prices increase, I think we will eat only bread,” said Nana.

Nana’s four-year-old-child cannot understand why the mother does not buy other products at the shop and buys only macaroni and eggs.
“I never enter a shop with Giorgi; he is complains all the time and wants me to buy chocolates for him,” said Nana in sorrow.

A retired woman, Ano Gregoriani, said that the income of the population should increase alongside the increased prices on food. “People cannot buy the essential minimum to survive. Everyday I see the prices rise on products when I enter the shop. However, our pensions and salaries remain the same.”

Gulo Kokhodze, Akhaltsikhe