An image shared on Facebook claims former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams said, “We don’t need farmers, when we have grocery stores.”

Verdict: False

There is no evidence that Abrams said the quote. It appears to be a misrepresentation of a statement she made about the Georgia economy in 2018.

Fact Check:

Abrams, who ran for governor of Georgia in 2018, spoke at a Dec. 15 campaign rally with President-elect Joe Biden for Democratic Senate candidates Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, according to The Atlanta Journal Constitution. The candidates are running against Republican Georgia Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue in the state’s Jan. 5 Senate runoff elections.

The Facebook image shows Abrams speaking at a podium and attributes a quote to her reading, “We don’t need Farmers, When we have Grocery stores.” (RELATED: Will Stacey Abrams Be The First Private Citizen To Respond To SOTU Address?)

However, there is no record of Abrams ever making such a statement. A search of Abrams’ verified Twitter and Facebook accounts turned up no matches for the statement. Had she made this comment, media outlets likely would have reported on it, yet none appear to have done so.

The claim appears to stem from a misrepresentation of a statement Abrams made during her 2018 gubernatorial campaign. “I want to create a lot of different jobs,” Abrams said, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution. “Because people shouldn’t have to go into agriculture or hospitality in Georgia to make a living in Georgia. Why not create renewable energy jobs? Because, I’m going to tell y’all a secret: Climate change is real.”

Abrams later clarified this statement on Twitter after an attack ad from Republicans used the quote to insinuate that she insulted farmers, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reported.

To be clear, my point is that we must continue to diversify our economy and raise wages across the board. Agriculture and hospitality are vital sectors of our economy in Georgia – but we can do more and lead in new sectors as well. https://t.co/3eiv8c3QHr

— Stacey Abrams (@staceyabrams) October 16, 2018

“To be clear, my point is that we must continue to diversify our economy and raise wages across the board,” Abrams tweeted. “Agriculture and hospitality are vital sectors of our economy in Georgia – but we can do more and lead in new sectors as well.”