President questions fruit and vegetable prices at Georgian markets

Rustavi-2 TV, Tbilisi
4 Jun 06

[Presenter] Why are Armenian tomatoes cheaper than Georgian tomatoes
in Georgia? The president of Georgia put this question to the members
of the government’s economic team at a cabinet meeting under way at
the State Chancellery.

[Passage omitted]

[Saakashvili, addressing a cabinet meeting] Meat costs about 8 lari [4
dollars per kilo] at Tbilisi markets. Pork also costs 8 lari,
sometimes more, while poultry costs about 7 lari. In our fraternal,
neighbouring Armenia, which has far less favourable climate, far less
fertile soil, overall, a much smaller territory, far less favourable
geographic location and a much smaller population than Georgia, meat
costs less than 6 lari, sometimes 5 lari, at the Yerevan market, while
pork costs 2-3 lari less and poultry costs 2 lari less than in
Georgia.

There is no shortage of apples in Georgia because the [Russian] market
has been closed to us. Yet apple is cheaper in Armenia than in Georgia
and various other fruits and vegetables are also cheaper than in
Georgia. [Passage omitted]