From Now on Georgian Lands are Not Only for Georgians

01:17     18 January, 2015

"Foreign citizens can buy agricultural land areas in Georgia, however, they should follow the requirements and regulations of local laws", - the chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee for Agriculture, MP Gigla Agulashvili told journalists.

"The experts and sector specialists have worked on the issue since the moratorium was declared on the sale of lands to foreigners. Finally, we have got a project, which will be discussed by the government in a few days and only afterwards it will be submitted to the Parliament as a draft law. The project stipulates that a foreign citizen can buy agricultural lands in Georgia, but they will face a number of regulations. The experience of a buyer in agricultural sector is one of the most important criteria. They must also have similar experience as that in Georgia; they must have a local partner and employ locals, etc." – Gigla Agulashvili explained.

As the MP said, the law also envisages that the buyer of agricultural lands should not use fertilizers in large amounts and ensure the soil layers to be properly protected from spoiling.

"The person engaged in land cultivation must take care of the soil, they must provide high quality products in order to contribute to the reduction of the import of agricultural products to 80%", – Agulashvili said.

The question of buying lands by foreigners in Georgia has been actively discussed in recent years. Many politicians find various risks in this sphere. Particularly, many experts consider that the real problem of the right of privatization is connected with the Turkish economical expansion in Western Georgia. From the other side, there is a pressure from European partners, who demand to synchronize Georgian legislation with the European one.

Anyway, as we see, Georgian Government tried to find a solution by imposing certain regulations. Probably this project will be adopted by the Parliament, having in mind the hope, that all the regulations will become a kind of an "obstacle" for foreign farmers.