Kakheti grape growers achieved an increase in purchase prices for their products.

On the second day of the protest by Kakheti grape growers, the authorities of Georgia fulfilled their main demand and revised the purchase prices for grapes, increasing them for some products with low sugar content and lowering the minimum sugar content level at which grapes are accepted at the maximum price.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", on the morning of September 21, grape growers in Kakheti began protests against low purchase prices, first in the village of Shildi in the Kvareli district, and then in Akhalsopeli. Farmers stated that the price set for grapes with a sugar content below 17 degrees on the Brix scale of 30 tetri (about 12 cents) per kg does not cover the costs of growing and harvesting, and demanded a revision, fearing that part of the harvest would remain unsold. Locals urged the authorities to take action: they emphasized that they voted for the "Georgian Dream" and now demanded an extraordinary government meeting to revise the decree that established the low purchase price for grapes with low sugar content.

After consultations with the government and the Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, a decision was made to change the purchase prices for grapes, reported Levan Mehuza, Chairman of the National Wine Agency of Georgia, whose words were quoted today by the Telegram channel Tbilisi life.

Saperavi with a sugar content of 20 degrees on the Brix scale will now be accepted at 1.5 lari (about 58 cents) per kg, and for sugar content from 16 to 20 degrees – at one lari (about 39 cents). For Rkatsiteli and other varieties with a sugar content of 19 degrees, the price is set at 1.3 lari (about 50 cents) per kilogram, and for a sugar content from 16 to 19 degrees – 90 tetri (about 35 cents), noted Mehuza.

Grapes with a sugar content below 16 degrees on the Brix scale will be accepted at 50 tetri (about 19 cents) per kilogram, hybrid varieties with the same indicator – at 30 tetri (about 12 cents), he added.

Grapes with a sugar content below 16 degrees are considered non-standard, as they are unsuitable for wine production and alcohol production, explained Mehuza. At the same time, the authorities intend to accept the entire harvest. According to the head of the National Wine Agency, the price set for non-standard grapes will allow producers to compensate for some of the incurred costs.

Grape growers who managed to deliver their harvest at the previous prices will have their calculations adjusted, and the difference will be compensated to them. The protests of grape growers in Kakheti continue for the second day, the publication states.

"Caucasian Knot" also reported that grape growers in Kakheti periodically hold protests due to purchase prices and payment issues for the harvest. For example, on August 31, 2024, farmers from three villages demanded to raise the purchase price of Saperavi from 1.5 lari (about 58 cents) to two lari (about 77 cents) per kg, and Rkatsiteli from 1.05 lari (about 40 cents) to 1.5 lari (about 58 cents). One of the participants in the protest, Onise Makhardze, pointed out that farmers barely cover their costs, and some of them are considering uprooting vineyards due to their unprofitability.

On November 13, 2023, grape growers in Kakheti demanded to pay them money for the previously delivered harvest. According to them, they had been waiting for payment for about two months, while more than half of the affected grape growers had bank debts.