The final growth forecast for the third quarter of 2015 has not changed significantly since last month (declining by only 0.02%) and remains at 2.6%. Similarly, the second growth forecast for the fourth quarter of 2015 is still 3.8%.

The cost of cooking one standard portion of khachapuri stood at 3.46GEL in September 2015. Compared to the previous month (August 2015) the Index lost 0.9%; in yearly terms (compared to September 2014), it actually gained 3.2%.

The average price of cooking one Imeretian Khachapuri currently stands at 3.46 GEL, which is 0.9% lower month-on-month, and 3.2% higher year-to-year. While the Index is primarily affected by the price of Imeretian cheese (the most expensive Khachapuri ingredient), during much of 2015 some moderating influence on the Index has been exerted by flour.

After quite a number of declines food prices started to increase in the beginning of October signaling the end of fresh fruits and vegetables’ season. Retail FPI for the 2nd week of October is 5% higher compared to the last week of September. Increase in prices is driven mostly by the increase in price of vegetables and fruits. Plum became 35.4% more expensive in October, eggplants’ price increased by 21.4% and apples gained in price 17%.

This week we use the Khachapuri Index to look at Georgia’s broader economic geography. We do so on the basis of price data for more than 100 products from each and every Georgian municipality, which were collected by the Georgian government with assistance from ISET and EU’s European Neighborhood Program for Agriculture and Rural Development (ENPARD).