From October 3 to 5, ISET Policy Institute and Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Development in Transition Economies (IAMO) hosted a three-day International Conference. The conference was jointly organized by ISET and IAMO and titled “Improving the Functioning of Agri-Food Value Chains in the South Caucasus Region”.
Increases in food prices and their volatility are global challenges, particularly affecting import-dependent developing countries where spending on food is relatively high. While major concerns regarding price dynamics and volatility are typically driven by the physical availability and financial accessibility of food.
For the countries in the South Caucasus, health hidden costs amount to 87%, 88%, and 92% of the total quantified hidden costs of agri-food systems. In terms of the share in GDP, they subsequently comprise 18%, 16%, and 22%, respectively.
In June 2024, the National Statistics Office of Georgia issued its annual publication on the agricultural sector – Agriculture of Georgia 2023. The publication estimates that agriculture, forestry, and fishing comprised 6.9% of the GDP in 2023, which is slightly lower than in previous years, but in line with general trends over the last few years (agricultural GDP being 7-8% of GDP on average).
On April 23 ISET Policy Institute hosted aan yet another roundtable discussion on "Russian Wheat Policies and Georgia's Strategic Responses".