MOSCOW – South Africa and Georgia have little in common aside from a tradition of wine-making and a turbulent recent history.
But a group of white South African farmers say starting a new life in the former Soviet state could be the solution to their troubles at home.
Some of South Africa’s 40,000 white farmers say they fear that South Africa’s Government is threatening their livelihoods with land-reform policies.
In what would be an extraordinary migration, the Georgian Government has invited South Africa’s farmers to buy up land in the country for next to nothing in exchange for bringing their expertise and knowledge of modern farming methods.
Papuna Davitaya, Georgia’s State Minister for Diaspora, said: “We are looking for investors in our agricultural sphere, because Georgia historically always used to be an agricultural country but in Soviet times we lost these traditions.”
He welcomed a delegation of South African farmers to the country recently and gave them guarantees about what they could expect if they made the move.
“Boers are some of the best farmers in the world,” Davitaya said.
Earlier this month dozens of farmers attended a union meeting in Pretoria about a potential move to Georgia. A committee from the union plans to lay the groundwork in the coming months, and then co-ordinate a larger migration.
Hendrik Mills, a Boer farmer, told ABN television: “I think there are great prospects for farmers out there. It would be much better to invest money in Georgia than in Africa.”
For many of the farmers it would be tough to leave their ancestral homeland. But they say their lives are getting harder every month, citing fears of crime, violence, labour costs and land reform.
Piet Kemp, who is keen to emigrate, said: “We will start with 10 or 20 farmers, but I think there could be more than 1000 farmers who could make a good life in Georgia.”
Georgia’s Government hopes that importing farming expertise will boost the country’s agricultural and wine sectors. Georgia has produced wine for centuries, but most of it is semi-sweet and not popular in Europe.
Georgian wines were well-liked in Russia but a political dispute between the two countries led to Moscow banning all imports.
Georgians will perhaps be hoping that if the scheme works, they will also benefit from some of the success South African wines enjoy. But adjusting to Georgia might prove tricky for the farmers.
The Georgian language is hard to learn. And there are no direct flights to Africa from the country. Not only that, but the climates in the two countries are completely different, as are farming methods.
Yet Kemp insisted that he and others were ready to try it. “I don’t want to come and make a new South Africa in Georgia,” he said. “If I am going, I will be a Georgian.”
The idea has its critics in both countries. Georgian opposition politicians claim the new arrivals are being sold the best land at knock-down prices while Georgian farmers are neglected.
In South Africa, there is also unease at the idea of letting some of the country’s best farmers leave.
– INDEPENDENT
Good Riddance!
if as a tiny minority you grabbed most arable land, historically granted easy loans (accumalated capital) and perenial cheap labour-IT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE NOT TO BE WILDLY SUCCESSFUL AS A FARMER.
These successful minority farmers in Azania do not provide living wage jobs and in fact have denied Afrikans their land-SOURCE OF ALL WEALTH.
Better to have an equitable redistribution of land with history in consideration than high GDP from farming that means next to nohing ON THE GROUND.
Let these people go back to the caucus mountains. We wish them well
This is better than news than Obama being president!!!
Shame, look at the responses above. One of these days THEY will have the land and NOTHING to eat, as is the case in Zim and the rest of Africa. THEY do not know how to produce food, all THEY can do is STEAL, KILL and RAPE (statistics do not lie!) … look at their pathetic ZUMA. How many waifs, how many mouths to feed. THEY took a world country and turned it into a Third World HOLE in not time. South Africa used to compete with the rest of the world, now it cannot even compete with Africa
Viva ANC, viva corruption and incompetence!
Krisjan
You speak like only an inbred red neck albino would, speak. Bufoonery, par excellence.
Jahdey
Jahdey
Should we hope you write this from the country of your ancestors,or are you cosily sitting writting it from the country called USA? Where….let’s see the real “people” American Indians has been reduced to a small number living on reservations?Why doesn’t America have an American Indian president?Shouldn’t that be a cause for celebration!Why don’t you and your family go back to the African country your ancestors came from and give back the land and the country to the rightfull owners,but I guess it is too easy to critisize any white man in an African country whilst you cosily ocupy another mans land.
Think before you speak look to your own first.
Land belongs to no man anyway.
We like to believe we have ownership of things,esentialy we will all die without taking our country with us in our backpacks, even if you are black, white, red and pink.
Shawne
I am first nation of the earth. The original man. We brown skin Africans were the original owners of the earth before you mutated and came into existence. My ancestors are the Gods of the earth.
Shawn, which cave in central Asia are your ancestors from?
Jahdey
Jahdey
Have you just stated that your people havn’t evolved “mutated” in millions of years and only other ethnicities has?
Shawne
Maybe the way you perceive reality has been altered by your mutated genes. What I said is written in black and white, and for god’s sake I hope you understand English and not just Cockney.
I asked you, which cave are you from, in central Asia?
Jahdey
Jahdey
Correct it is in black and white,and you stated it bawahaha!
You are just a bitter man every one is your enemy even your own.
My my must be torture being you.
P.S. Education is key!
England and Asia not the same country.
And you my dear mutated spawne of the Boer called Shawn, are a mischeivous troll looking some attention of people that don’t give a hoot about you. Me, I don’t give a hoot about your mutated arse. And I realize you are prolly one jobless troll on welfare, sorely bored and looking for distraction. You come to the wrong place. We are serious here. We are livewire, we shock and burn ignorance to blazes.
In the meantime, go to the posted link and educate yourself on how your mutant ancestors brought their pink arse from Central Asian caves and ended up in England. Poor soul, you don’t even know your own history.
Here click on Wiki: the Migration Period… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Migration_Period ……
Jahdey
Let me explain how Black Africans see you, you are coloured ie. mixed race,you are not welcome don’t in their country,you know nothing about Black African culture,they don’t tolerate even other different African cultures and races in their own country,this is called xenophobia (sure you might have heard of this) should you be a Zimbabwean in South Africa you will be called MaKwereKwere which my friend means black foreign cockroach,you will not be excepted into the community at all because you will be taking their housing their jobs etc.(Which I agree with 100%) but what I don’t understand is African Americans calling themselves black,it is laughable, because any African can see you have a hint of milk in the coffee my friend even your so called black president?” he is not black his mother is white,he is a coloured(mixed race)”!,and you act just like the coloureds do in South Africa ,running with gangs, abuse of drugs etc,and let me explain to you as Black Africans got more pride and class, than the half caste African Americans “Ganstas”.
Sorry for thinking this might be an forum of openess,but clearly only a venting hole for frustrated coloureds that have no country to call their own.
So let me explain to you where I stand. I’m a Black African Female raised by a white family that gave me the best opportunities they could afford,I will defend them as I will defend my own whom does not act like savages and talk with such hate towards others as you do.You are not African don’t speak for my people we speak for ourselves.
I have learned there is good in all people but clearly you hate the world,and that no one can help you with but yourself.
So no I’m not from Asia or England or where ever you want to guess next. ha ha.
Please let a black African speak for Africa.
Only when someone starts with name calling does it become obvious that they have lost the argument.
But thank you for the discussion but clearly you hate every one.
Good luck to you in your future endeavours.
Salagathle
My name is Shawne short for Shadiwane.(not Shawn I’ not a man)
Ignore the Tamahu Troll