Agriculture Minister: no shortage in stocks of food, primary consumer goods in Georgia
The Agriculture Ministry said its agencies were monitoring uninterrupted supply and replenishment of food in the country, in addition to coordinating work with representatives of major retail chains and companies importing food and consumer products to Georgia. Photo: Agriculture Ministry of Georgia
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Georgian Agriculture Minister Otar Shamugia has said no shortage in stocks of food and primary consumer goods is observed in Georgia following the outbreak of hostilities in Ukraine last month, stressing the importance of maintaining a “stable supply” of products in the market and avoiding “unreasonable price increases”.
Shamugia made the comment during his meeting with representatives of large trade networks and companies importing food and other products to Georgia on Wednesday, where he emphasised the significance of the state’s involvement in the process with its support of “required fields” and “special responsibility” of business. The Minister said the sides involved in the meeting had agreed to work “in maximum coordination with importers and suppliers.”
Iva Chkhonia, the Head of the Georgian Distributors Association, noted obstructions in deliveries in the trade network due to “excessive purchase” of the products by the population, which he described as “artificially leading to shortage.”
Despite the difficulties, he also maintained the market in the country was in stable condition, calling on citizens “not to harm either yourself or other customers with excess purchases,” and adding “if today a certain brand of oil, buckwheat or sugar is not found on the counter, it does not mean that it will not be [available] in two or three days.”
Nikoloz Natbiladze, a representative of Agara Sugar Factory, said the factory would resume “full operation” from April 1 and would “ensure uninterrupted supply” of their product to the market, adding “there is no reason to panic.”
The Agriculture Ministry said its agencies were monitoring uninterrupted supply and replenishment of food in the country, in addition to coordinating work with representatives of major retail chains and companies importing food and consumer products to Georgia.
Reuters reported on Wednesday Ukraine had banned exports of rye, barley, buckwheat, millet, sugar, salt, and meat until the end of 2022 per a cabinet resolution.
Macroeconomic parameters in Georgia are “very healthy and stable” and depreciation of the Georgian lari exchange rate is mainly caused by “emotional factors,” Georgian Economy Minister Levan Davitashvili said on Tuesday.
The Georgian government said on Sunday 40 tons of humanitarian aid had been sent to help Ukrainians displaced by war as part of the Produce for Ukraine campaign, organised by the government and the Ministry of Economy’s Enterprise Georgia agency.
The Consumer Price Index in Georgia increased by 0.9 percent in February 2022 month-on-month, while the annual inflation rate totalled 13.7 percent, the latest inflation data of the National Statistics Office of Georgia (Geostat) shows.
The estimated real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Georgia increased by 18 percent in January 2022 year-on-year, the latest data from the National Statistics Office of Georgia (Geostat) shows.
There is no need for Georgian citizens to stock up on food products as supply lines are working, Levan Davitashvili, the Georgian Economy Minister, has told the public amid claims the country might be facing a shortage due to the war in Ukraine.
Problems related to the supply of wheat and flour in Georgia are neither observed nor expected, Economy Minister Levan Davitashvili said on Wednesday, adding it was foreseeable the export tax would be removed and the country would be able to buy wheat “on better terms and cheaper.”
There will be “no delays” in terms of product supplies for Georgian consumers, Georgian Agriculture Minister Otar Shamugia said on Thursday.
Shamugia made the comment responding to speculation over a possible lack of availability of products in connection to the conflict in Ukraine, while also urging the public to refrain from buying in bulk to avoid an artificial increase in prices.
Reforms in the forestry sector, air and water resources, waste management and trade relations were the topics covered at a meeting between Otar Shamugia, the Georgian Agriculture Minister and Carl Hartzell, the European Union Ambassador to Georgia, on Wednesday.