State companies to be created in villages

Georgian PM Vano Merabishvili, in his recent meeting with farmers in the Shida Kartli region, mentioned that his government is planning to create several hundred state companies which would export Georgian agricultural products to Belarus, Ukraine and other markets. According to the PM, the approach that envisions private business regulating the marketing of agricultural products did not prove to be correct. Independent analysts mostly challenge this position, comparing this model with socialist practices. Some label it as a step backwards because it contradicts the market economy approach.