The President of Georgia arrived Kakheti today, where he visited three villages affected by disaster: Kakabeti, Chumlaki, and Leliani. Mikheil Saakashvili met with the victimized population and informed them about the disaster elimination plan. As the Head of State noted, right now the top priority of the State is bringing people out of this crisis, and giving them specific assistance.

“The most important thing now is to calculate the damage in a timely fashion. This is not only your loss but loss for the entire country. That’s why everybody should unify to help you. We might put other budget programs on hold, but we won’t do it with Kakheti. The commission will go door to door one more time to everyone, and recalculate the losses. First of all, the State will buy the grapes that are ready for realization. Damaged roofs are the second issue. Brigades are already mobilized, a part of them are going to be transferred to here from Telavi, and those persons who prefer to fix their houses by themselves will be compensated. Third, we will bring chemicals and help save the grapes that have been damaged in some places. The people who were affected by yesterday’s disaster will also receive flour and other groceries. None of the families will stay without care. Disaster is not only your problem but a problem of the entire country. This is why we are creating a unified front to fight it. Starting today we have to hit the grapes so that our harvest does not go bad. All factories and transports are mobilized, and we are starting to buy grapes from you today. Taking care of you in such situations is not our only function. We will do something for you each day. People were expecting benefits and they got a disaster instead. Our guys have gained tremendous experience, that is why we are ready to tackle every problem, and that is why we have an effective state apparatus. “– stated the President of Georgia while talking to the local residents.

Later today, Mikheil Saakashvili summoned a session of the disaster elimination task force, and gave relevant orders to representatives of the government. He also discussed the issue of vintage with them and noted that the factories already have orders to buy grapes from farmers. According to the Head of State, the vintage must be great this year despite the disaster.

“The disaster destroyed the entire harvest for many people, a part of it for some. It is important to calculate everything and give out compensations accordingly. We might even distribute sugar to some part of the population so that they can make vodka, because the grapes they have left are not good enough for making wine. We need to have a more sophisticated action plan in this direction.  We have to think ahead about each nuance because we already have had a bad experience with this kind of issue.  Each person must receive compensation and must be satisfied so that such a disaster does not break anyone’s back in the future. We should leave no family with problems here or in Kvemo Kartli. This is our main goal. We have no time to lose now. We have to hold a session in the next few hours. When we organize in 2-3 days, we have to save whatever we can and I will come back here soon so we can take care of the vintage together. The vintage should go more smoothly than ever before, and people must benefit from it so that they do not lose motivation.  This year 30 % of the harvest was destroyed, and this is why we have to come up with preventive mechanisms regarding disaster for the upcoming year. We have to think of an insurance system so that we can insure agriculture just like in other civilized countries. Nobody can stand living in such stress and tense conditions. Persons involved in agriculture must feel protected against any kind of disaster. This is dependent on the government’s free will. “– noted the Head of State while addressing representatives of the government.

The personal representative of the President in Kakheti Levan Bejashvili, Governor of Kakheti Giorgi Gviniashvili, Minister of Health, Labour and Social Affairs Zurab Chiaberashvili, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Vakhtang Balavadze, Minister of Environmnet Protection Giorgi Khachidze, and First Deputy Governor of Kakheti Giorgi Sibashvili attended the session along with the President. According to Vakhtang Balavadze’s statement, the problem of electricity will be completely solved in two days because the damage caused by disaster is not less in this sense.