Farmers continue to rally in Marneuli, gov’t calls for patience
A verbal dispute took place in Marneuli between local officials and several locals.Photo:IPN.
Tweet 
Share
Locals in Marneuli municipality, which has been put on lockdown for about a month due to the coronavirus, have continued to rally in the village of Agmamedlo earlier today, demanding ‘active support’ from the government to sell their agricultural produce.
The government says that locals are able to sell their produce to the distribution company Jibe, which enters the municipality regularly to buy produce from local farmers to avoid the spoilage of the goods and for farmers to receive an income.
The government does say that the process is not perfect due to the current situation in the country due to the coronavirus.
Distribution company Jibe, which says that only last Friday it purchased 16 tonnes of produce from the municipality farmers, was present in Marneuli today.
We purchased 16 tonnes of produce on Friday. We were unable to enter the municipality during the Easter holiday. However, we re-entered the municipality to purchase the produce as soon as the holiday was over, on Tuesday,' the company representative said.
Local officials say that the opposition stands behind the rallies in the municipality, allegations which are dismissed by the opposition.
The officials say that the government has done its utmost to help local farmers in the ‘very-complicated situation.’
Agriculture Minister Levan Davitashvili says that movement restrictions will be gradually lifted starting from the next week. Photo: IPN.
They urged locals to maintain mandatory distance while selling their produce to the distribution company.
Locals are complaining that the price offered by the distribution company for their products ‘is too low.’
Kakheti governor Irakli Kadagishvili said that an open market will open in the village of Kabali, Lagodekhi municipality next week where locals will be able to sell their produce.
He said that another market for fruit will also open in Gurjaani municipality.
Agriculture Minister Levan Davitashvili says that the coming four-five days will be complicated in the country in the fight against the coronavirus, while starting from April 27 movement restrictions will be gradually lifted and farmers will face less problems in the sale of their products.
Medics in the Marneuli and Bolnisi municipalities of eastern Georgia have checked 20,000 individuals for suspicious symptoms of the coronavirus, of which 25 have been found to have a fever.
Epidemiologists and doctors are monitoring the population of Marneuli municipality in eastern Georgia, which has been placed under lockdown after a local, 62-year-old woman tested positive for the new coronavirus.
Marneuli and Bolnisi municipalities in eastern Georgia have been placed under lockdown after a local, 62-year-old woman tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday after coming into contact with more than 80 people and spending four days in a local hospital. The two municipalities have more than 158,000 people total.How the woman contracted the virus is as of yet unknown. Her health condition is critical.
The ruling Georgian Dream party has accused the opposition of organising a rally in the Marneuli municipality of eastern Georgia earlier today, which has been on lockdown due to the coronavirus since March 23.
Georgians woke up today to find that one of the country’s municipalities, Marneuli, had turned into a US town after Fox News mistook footage of protests in the town for events in the US state of Georgia.