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Guria Residents Intend to Cut Tangerine Trees Down

December 17, 2013
 
Nino Mshvidobadze, Guria

Minister of Agriculture Shalva Pipia visited Guria region. He said this year harvest of tangerine in Georgia amounted to 100 000 tons and only 17 000 tons were realized of it. He said that last year, only 10 000 tons were realized by present time and total amount of the harvest was 46 000 tons. Pipia said bad weather created problems in this direction. Farmers from Guria intend to cut down tangerine trees because of created problems.


“Based on the government’s resolution, 13 million lari was allocated in the frame of the Citrus Farmers Assisting Program,” Pipia said. 

Humanrights.ge interviewed several local farmers, who have not collected mandarin yet.

Dodo Khoperia: “I have harvested 2 tons of mandarin. Snow hindered me and could not collect harvest. However, I do not know whether it will be sold. If somebody applies, I am ready to sell one kilo even for 20 tetri.”

Guram Mshvidobadze: “Mandarin is of particularly high quality this year; but nobody wants to buy it. My son takes mandarin to Tbilisi by car and sells it to traders for 40 tetri. Although he spends money on transportation, it is better than throwing harvest away.”

Zaira Gogua: “I harvested 10 tons of mandarin. Luckily the frost did not damage it. I am collecting it now but do not hope I will manage to sell it. People are asking for the mandarin but they do not want to pay more than 20-30 tetri. I prefer to sell the harvest cheaply than to throw them away; I might also exchange it into other products.”

Owner of the Mandarin Delivery Spot Mamuka Skhirtladze in Meria village, Ozurgeti district, said they accept 20-30 tons of mandarin every day. “We lack boxes; otherwise, we would have produced more.”

If farmers fail to sell mandarin in Guria, they intend to cut tangerine trees down.

Lamara Andguladze: “I already think of cutting them down. I have collected harvest in cold weather and keep it at home. I do not have boxes to store them. Mandarins are scattered on the floor and they are getting rotten. I gave part of them to neighbors and relatives… I harvest 8 tons of mandarin. I do not know where to sell them. Everybody shares my opinion. Peasants cannot benefit from tangerine. We’d rather have nut plantations.”

Tornike Sarjveladze: “Somebody asked about mandarin today; but they wanted only high quality fruit and for 30 tetri. I was sorry to sell good mandarin for this price but agreed – otherwise it would get rotten. But now I decided to cut tangerine trees down and plant nut-trees instead because it is more profitable.”

Minister of Agriculture Shalva Pipia said during his visit in Guria that 12 000 000 lari out of allocated 13 800 000 lari will be spent on standard mandarin and the rest on NS. “Every person, who will deliver mandarin to the factories, will receive additional 15 000 lari. It is done because this year people harvested more mandarin than last year,” the Minister said.

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