Gulo Kokhodze, Akhaltsikhe
Samtskhe-Javakheti region in south-eastern Georgia, which was always considered to be the “homeland and breadbasket of potatoes,” now faces the immediate danger of facing this crop season without much of a potato harvest. The damage from the prolonged frosts has amounted to 12 million GEL already, and much seed potatoes have been frozen where it will not germinate. This year’ severe winter has created many problems for agriculture with 15 thousand tones of seed-potato frozen.
Minimal expenses for frozen potatoes is nearly 10 million 300 GEL in Samtskh-Javakheti region. The most acute damage was in the Akhalkalaki and many village stores were damaged throughout the whole region. Upwards of 4,000 tones of potato were frozen in Akhatsikhe District and the damage has reached more than 2, 8 million GEL.
Vara Metreveli, a resident of the village of Klde has been cultivating the small plot in front of her house out of a need to survive in recent years. Her problems are not only seed potatoes but she does not even have money to prepare her land plot. She hopes that the government will provide some assistance. If the government assists her with the fuel she will be able to till her land but still she will not be able to plant potato. The 200 kilos of seed potatoes that she was keeping for this years planting hardened like stone in storage. I could not use them for eating. We have warm cellar and nothing has ever get frozen in it; but the frosts of this year left me without food.”
275 tones of potato were frozen in the Klde community according to the Akhaltsikhe Municipality Council’s information. However, population claims the total amount of the frozen potato is doubled as much as official data show. “During the description they recorded only half of the frozen potatoes. Instead of 200 kilo they recorded only 120 kilo in my family. They claimed the government could reimburse only that amount of damage. Why should they have recorded that 120 kilo too?! I do not wish anyone to relay on the assistance of the government,” said Vera Metreveli.
Residents of the village of Arli hope the government will assist them. “A kilo of seed potato costs not less than 1, 5 GEL, and who will be able to afford to buy it?! Who will take care of us?! Nobody will provide assistance to us,” said Naira Kachkachishvili.
Aleksi Kostanishvili, assistant to the Akhaltiskhe District Governor, stated that it is only because pf careless peasants that their seed potatoes froze. If they had covered their harvest with something they would not have faced similar problems. He added that minimum of 350 kilo of potatoes are necessary to plant an area of 1,000 meters of land and it costs nearly 770 GEL. “Peasant should be afford to buy the seed potato at his or her own expenses.”
“Careless peasant”, a resident of the village of Skhvilisi, Vartush Anastasiani was covering the potatoes with blankets; however she was unable to save even one kilo of her harvest out of five tones of potatoes. Sixty-five-year-old retired woman trades in the market from 9:00 AM to 6:00 Pm and sells half-frozen apple-six kilos of apple costs one lari. “I cannot sell even five kilos of apple a day. As for seed-potato, it is very expensive so I will not be able to plant potato this spring.”
The only income for the five-member family of Okromelidzes, residents of the village of Muskhi, is agriculture. “One tone of potato was frozen. The whole family works on the land and the harvest, our only income, is spoilt. The government promised assistance but they do not seem to aid us though it is time to plant potato.”
20 thousand GELS is apportioned from the Akhaltsikhe District Budget to reserve fund.
“The money will be spent on the assistance for the families damaged by natural disaster. We can purchase only several ten tones of potato with 20 thousand GEL. The total amount of the damage has reached 3 million GEL while district budget is only 2,917 014 GEL,” said Vazha Chitashvili, Akhatsikhe District Governor.
The data on the final amount of the damage was sent to the Regional Administrative Board from the Akhaltsikhe Municipality Board on January 28 2008.
Shalva Kavelidze, the advisor at the Agro-Industrial Service Department of the Regional Governor’s Administration, stated that they will sent a letter to the Ministry of Agriculture about the total amount of the damage in the region in the nearest future. “Central budget will not be able to apportion a large amount in compensation. The government cannot present us with 15 thousand tones of potato but at least they might assist in someway.”
Meanwhile, peasants can buy potato for 2, 3 GEL in the shop “Agro” on the high-way to Abastumani. “CARE International” will import 25 tones of seed potato in Georgia within the Caucasian project within the next month.
“The demand on seed potato has increased because of severe winter. We have already sold one container of seed potatoes. It means the 2, 3 GEL is acceptable price for people,” said Guram Jinchveladze, Executive Director of the Village Consultation Service Office.
However, population claims it will be very difficult for them to buy the seed potato at that price. “We will spend our last money that is the only way out. Two lari for one kilo of potato is not a reasonable price a struggling peasant to pay. But we have no other way out from the problem,” said Mardun Esoian sadly.
The problem is made worst since much of the seed potatoes imported into Georgia are priced in EUROS and the exchange rates and the rise of the EURO against the GEL makes imported seed potatoes very expensive this year.
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