Indian Investor: “Georgia Is a Country Where You Invest in Problems, Stress and Nervousness”

Newspaper “Kvela Siakhle”

The topic of selling Georgian lands to foreigners has become hot topic recently. The problem has many directions and contains many aspects. In many villages, local populations opposed foreign investors. One of most recent incidents occurred in Ditsi village, Gori district when it became police officers interfered into the controversy to calm people down.

According to the spread information, the land owner is an Indian company. As mentioned above, the problem has many directions and requires rapid reaction from the government. Indian investor – director of the Company Foodland Jagpal (Pall) Singh.

-I first arrived in Georgia in 2009 to start completely different business; but I saw there was huge potential in Georgian agriculture and decided to try fate in it. In short, I gained positive and negative agricultural experience in different regions of Georgia. After me, several Indian businessmen got interested in Georgia and they also purchased lands here; I was appointed as a manager of their lands here. Everything was fine in our business but situation has deteriorated since July of 2012.

-Why did you get interested in Georgia?

-I thought I would start a new stage in my life by starting a business in the new country. However, Georgia turned up a country where you can invest only in “good problems,” stress and nervousness; thus you can make your life more boisterous. Initially I launched pharmacy business here and was very surprised that anti-stress medicines were in great demand here; now I am no longer surprised with it. I also started taking those medicines.

-Residents of Disti village in Gori district opposed Indian investors; do you own lands there too?

-No, I do not but I have information about this case. I face the same problems too. My company owns lands in the villages of Dvani (150 hectares) and Zegduleti (75 hectares). I lawfully purchased those lands.

-Allegedly, previous government sold state reserve lands to several Indian investors…

-It is not true. At least, I personally purchased my lands from private owners who could not cultivate them. They were not pastures but agricultural plots which had turned into pasture because of non-cultivation. Locals from Zegduleti village complained they did not have pastures so I gave them 25 hectares out of my 75 hectares of land to them to use as a pasture. As for Ditsi village, the investor paid half million USD for the land there and the same amount money was spent on the purchase and transportation of new apple plants; he introduced new technologies and it caused serious turmoil. Nowadays, the owner of those lands cannot start agricultural activities; we will wait 5-6 months and if the process continues, we will sell everything and leave the country; however it will not be good for us or for this country. I think, Georgian population shall be clarified about the benefit of the country and individual citizen from real investor.

-You said the situation worsened since July, 2012. What was the trigger?

-I do not know how it happened but all of a sudden a lot of Indian people arrived in Georgia to earn money. However, they all were deceived because there is not so much land in the country and not many people want to sell their plots. Finally, neither those poor Indian people can see any profit here; besides that local Georgian population is irritated with the number of Indian visitors here and I think your government shall somehow regulate this process because ordinary Georgian people cannot properly defer real investors from poor Indians.

-There is not much land in Georgia; so when foreigners purchase lands here, it is natural that local people get concerned about it…

-If somebody does not want to sell the land, they should not sell it. We do not compel anybody to sell them. Besides that, we cannot take the land with us to India. It will always be Georgian land.