The head of the Fruit and Vegetable Exporters Association, Vakhtang Bezhitashvili, says retail prices for local fruit and vegetables are indeed high, but not due to excessive profit margins. Instead, he cites several structural factors: inflation, low domestic production, tax policy and increasing import dependence.
Bezhitashvili argues that Georgia could produce enough to meet domestic demand, but this requires supportive state policy, a fair investment environment and reduced corruption. He notes that many agricultural projects have failed to deliver large-scale results and that most farmland remains uncultivated, limiting supply and keeping prices high.
According to him, under current conditions, there is no real potential for price reduction. He criticized the government’s approach of involving investigative agencies in the process, saying any impact would be “strictly short-term” and would not affect essential food prices. Sustainable solutions, he says, lie in better planning, effective management, structural reforms and improved legislation to support larger, more competitive farms.
Bezhitashvili adds that local farmers lack protection even during high-yield seasons, as additional imports continue to enter the market. Without a balance between free-market principles and reasonable protection for local producers, businesses have little incentive to invest in a high-risk sector. He stresses that long-term price stability can be achieved only through expanded domestic production, modernization and clear agricultural policy—not enforcement actions.
