On August 25, the host of “Spectrum” TV-programme on TV Caucasia, Davit Akubardia, in a conversation with the Leader of the “Industry Will Save Georgia” party, Gogi Topadze about the European integration, mentioned that the 80% decrease in the nut harvest was caused by exposing the nut plantations to toxic chemicals during the chemical processing, allegedly based on the results of an expertise that arrived from Germany. According to Gogi Topadze, such results are due to the import of genetically modified chemicals from abroad.
Davit Akubardia, the host of the programme: “We have a catastrophic downtrend in nut, results of the expertise came back from Germany and it appears that the chemicals used during the chemical processing were toxic…”
Gogi Topadze, Industry Will Save Georgia: “Indeed! Why did we use it?! Did they offer it to us?! It is all gone, the entire Samegrelo was living on it. Why do we import genetically modified one, don’t we have it ourselves?”
August 25, TV Caucasia, “Spectrum” TV-programme
In order to verify the information, Myth Detector contacted the Ministry of Agriculture of Georgia. The Ministry denied the information that the nut harvest had been chemically processed with toxic chemicals. Genetically modified chemicals are non-existent in nature, as genetic engineering can only be used for living organisms, whereas the pesticides are substances received as a result of chemical synthesis.
Fact #1. Chemically processing the nut harvest with pesticides that were allegedly confirmed toxic by the expertise in Germany does not seem to be the case.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture of Georgia, there is no chemical-processing pesticide registered in Georgia which at the same time is prohibited in the EU, the United States and the CIS countries.
In the current year, 53,000 hectares of nut plantations were chemically processed in the framework of the programme against the Asian tortoise beetle (Cassida viridis). During the chemical processing, an effective pyrethroid insecticide Bifenthrin – “Zonder”. The given drug is registered in Georgia and has been used for chemical processing of various agricultural cultures for the past ten years. The drug is also registered in the EU, Australia, North and South American countries.
Fact #2. It is impossible to chemically process nut plantations with “genetically modified material” imported from abroad, as genetic engineering is only applied to living organisms, whereas pesticides are chemical substances and are received as a result of chemical synthesis.
Pesticides belong to the chemical substances class and are received through chemical synthesis. The given process excludes the usage of genetic engineering methods. The genetically modified materials are only applied to the living organisms and there is no worldwide practice of using them to protect plants.
Gogi Topadze made such a disinformative statement on July 1, 2015, as well, when he stated that the Association Agreement obliges Georgia to import genetically modified product which is illegal in the EU. Actually, there is no commitment in the economic part of the Association Agreement (DCFTA) signed with the EU that obliges Georgia to import genetically modified products. The EU has not made the production and import/export of GMO in Europe illegal and it is not in its competence to regulate a non-EU country’s market either.
Fact #3. In the recent period, in parallel with the increasing nut plantation areas, the spread of nut parasites and diseases, as well as the harm caused by them, have increased, too.
As of today, nut is planted on approximately 60,000 hectares in Georgia. As the area of the nut plantations is increasing, the area covered by parasites and diseases, as well as the diseases caused from them, are on the rise.
The following parasites and diseases are present: great nut beetle, ambrosia beetle, longhorn nut beetle, bud mite and the disease called nut’s ash. The given harmful organisms can seriously harm the nut plantations and decrease the harvest by 50-80%, during the mass multiplication-distribution period. Such problems exist not only in Georgia, but in those countries in which nut is produced. To counter the main nut parasites, mostly the chemical drugs and mechanical activities are used (removing the damaged parts, singling out and extermination). Due to the fact that the plant protection activities countering the nut parasites and diseases are conducted only on 20% of the total nut plantations, the amount of harmful organisms and the economic harm caused by them increases on a yearly basis. In Western Georgia, in May-June 2017, the amount of sediment was 250% more than the average yearly amount, resulting in massive dissemination of fungi and bacterial diseases.
According to the data by the Statistics Office of Georgia, in 2016, 29,500 tons of nut were produced in Georgia, in 2015 – 35,300 tons, 2014 – 33,000 (see Table 1).
Table 1. Nut Production in Georgia (Thousand Tons).
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 |
| 33.8 | 35.3 | 29.5 |
In addition, in 2016, 27,008 tons of nut were exported, in 2015 – 19,335 tons and in 2014 – 19,900 tons. As of the first six months of 2017, a total of 4,895 tons of nut were exported from Georgia. The share of the EU in the export is significantly higher than any other country (see Table 2).
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017* Six Months | |
| EU | 14 636,2 | 16 003,3 | 21 576,1 | 2 829,3 |
| Russia | 457,0 | 1 391,5 | 1 484,2 | 985,1 |
| Iraq | 910,0 | 489,0 | 813,0 | 123,0 |
| Turkey | 181,7 | 456,0 | 458,6 | — |
| Ukraine | 649,2 | 151,8 | 342,9 | 216,2 |
| Kazakhstan | 2 030,3 | 53,5 | 75,0 | — |
| Azerbaijan | 220,0 | — | — | — |
| Other Countries | 816,2 | 760,1 | 2 258,6 | 741,9 |
| Total | 19 900,3 | 19 335,2 | 27 008,4 | 4 895,5 |
*Only the data of the first six months are counted for 2017
Based on the materials provided by the Ministry of Agriculture of Georgia
Prepared by Dali Kurdadze
