The President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili visited Tbilisi mill plant today and requested information about the wheat stock from the Minister of Agriculture of Georgia. Mikheil Saakashvili was also interested whether there is a threat of shortage of wheat in the country and, accordingly, of rising of prices. As Bakur Kvezereli stated, there is no threat of this in Georgia as, due to the performed preventive measures, shortage will not be created. The President saw the mill plant and familiarized with the order of keeping of wheat at the store. As Mikheil Saakashvili stated, in order to provide food products security, it is necessary to create grain elevator, terminals and transportation centers of regional importance in Georgia.    

"When I say that Singaporisation must happen, I mean that Georgia has to become such regional terminal and transportation center. Then our food products security will be much higher. When rising of food products prices, we become victims. It is good that there is no shortage, but prices rise for the people. As soon as we are in the trade center of the World, the country will profit from the rising of prices and we shall not have the status of a helpless victim any more - on the contrary, it will become a proactive user. Provided our geographical advantage, we have to provide not only Georgia, but all the Black Sea cost countries, all the Caucasus and all the Middle Asia centers. We must not be passive, we must think, how to use the situation. We must have the short term plan on how to reduce the shock and the long term plan i. e. the accurate strategy, on how to get profit", - Mikheil Saakashvili stated.  

Mikheil Saakashvili also touched the issue of food products vouchers, distribution of which will start in March. He said that this became an object of criticism too, as some people think that distribution of vouchers will produce "couponization".

"This is absolutely different from coupons, as we can exchange food products voucher into money - Georgian currency that, by the way has hardened, in any bank of Georgia. That is why, unlike food ration ticket and coupons of 90-ies that lost their value daily, this is hard currency. We just give people voucher instead of money, because they can pass it to others. We made it in order to alleviate at least a little bit the shock from rising prices", - the President stated.

Later today Mikheil Saakashvili visited Koda poultry farm and asked about the work of the farm and quantity of its production. Mikheil Saakashvili said that eggs and poultry are the products least involved in the rising of prices. The President thinks that this is conditioned by the development of the local production.  

"When investment is made into any field, this field can provide food products security. This must be an example for those who farm maize and wheat. Now, I am going to meet maize and wheat farmers all over the country in order to interest them and make them produce more maize and wheat. They will be able to profit from rising of prices on the World market and support the local market as well. We are having the opportunity to produce more maize in coming years in Georgia and then export it. What is the most important, by this we shall create the base for poultry production", - the President of Georgia stated.   

Koda poultry factory has fully - by 100 percent developed the local market and is exporting its products.