Indexes
May 25, 2015 Kh-Index | Georgia imports inflation
25
May
2015
The average cost of cooking one standard Imeretian Khachapuri in May 2015 stood at 2.88 GEL, which is 2.7% lower month-on-month (i.e. compared to April 2015). The Khachapuri Index is actually up by 1% year-on-year (compared to May 2014), suggesting a slight uptick in annual inflation, at least as far khachapuri ingredients are concerned.
If we look at a more comprehensive basket of goods and services, such as used for the official Consumer Price Index (CPI), prices are up in both monthly and annual terms, by 0.6 and 3.5%, respectively.
What is driving the observed price increases?
Interestingly enough, annual Khachapuri inflation is driven by price increases for almost all ingredients, except Imeretian cheese. This is hardly incidental because Imeretian cheese a key khachapuri ingredient is produced domestically. Moreover, its production does not require any imported inputs. All other khachapuri ingredients eggs, flour, milk, butter, and yeast are either imported or require an imported production input, such as chicken feed.
The reason imported items go up in price is directly linked to the more than 30% devaluation of the Lari against the US dollar. As we show in the chart, price increases are particularly strong for internationally traded commodities, such as wheat, that are priced in USD and the demand for which is rather inelastic.
Recent Publications
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March 2024 | Beginning of seasonal drop in Khachapuri Index
01
April
2024
In March 2024, the average cost of cooking one standard portion of Imeretian khachapuri stood at 6.40GEL. This latest average price marks a -1.8% decrease compared to March 2023. Additionally, in month-to-month developments, the price of khachapuri decreased by -6.4% compared to the previous month (February 2024).
February 2024 | The Khachapuri Index increases by 3.3%
04
March
2024
In February 2024, the average cost of cooking one standard portion of Imeretian khachapuri stood at 6.83 GEL, marking a 3.3% increase compared to the previous month. However, in a year-to-year comparison, the price of khachapuri decreased by 1.5% compared to February 2023.
January 2024 | Khachapuri Index continues its upward trend
29
January
2024
In January 2024, the average monthly cost of preparing one standard portion of Imeretian khachapuri increased, ranging between 6.40 GEL (Batumi) and 7.11 GEL (Tbilisi), with an overall average cost of 6.62 GEL. This recent average indicates a 2% increase compared to the preceding month of December 2023. While examining year-to-year trends, the current price of khachapuri is 4.6% lower than in January 2023.
December 2023 | The Khachapuri Index over the decade
28
December
2023
In December 2023, the average cost of preparing one standard Imeretian khachapuri experienced a slight increase, reaching 6.48 GEL. This signifies a 0.2% rise compared to November 2023 and a noteworthy -7.3% decrease compared to December 2022.
November 2023 | Khachapuri Index increased by 5.5%
27
November
2023
In November 2023, the average cost of preparing a standard portion of Imeretian Khachapuri continued its upward climb, reaching 6.47 GEL. This represents a 5.5% increase from the previous month (October 2023) and a 6.9% decrease compared to the same period last year (November 2022).
