Georgian farmers demand to stop land sales to foreigners
Farmers from Kakheti in Eastern Georgia have begun collecting signatures to demand the suspension of land sales to foreigners in Georgia. They intend to collect 25,000 signatures to be later submitted to the Parliament of Georgia.
According to the statement made by the initiative group of farmers on Friday, they addressed parliament and the prime minister with the same demand back in January 2013. However, no response followed. Farmers are demanding that consideration is given to determine the legality of land sales to foreigners and develop a strategy for their return.
The Minister of Agriculture David Kirvalidze has commented on this issue. According to him, the law does not prohibit the sale of land to foreigners. Kirvalidze said there is no definitive information on agricultural land as yet and a land inventory is being conducted. Following its completion, the government will publish its position on this issue.