Retail food prices increased by 3.4% on an annual basis (that is, compared to May 2016), but decreased by 1.2% on a monthly basis (that is, compared to April 2017). The biggest price increase was for cabbage, potatoes, and peaches (76.5%, 30.2%, and 17.5%, respectively).
In the old Soviet movie, “Once Upon a Time Twenty Years Later,” a mother of ten who bought a lot of clothing and food in a local shop was suspected of being a speculator by the shop administrator, who immediately called police as the woman left the shop. The woman survived arrest after it was discovered that she bought so many goods exclusively for her big family, and not for resale or so-called speculation.
By the end of April, food prices increased by 4.0% on an annual basis (that is, compared to April 2016) but decreased by 0.9% on a monthly basis (that is, compared to March 2017). During the last two weeks of April, onions, potatoes, and tomatoes showed the biggest increase in prices by 23.2%, 13.5%, and 10.1%, respectively.
Georgia’s agri-food export is concentrated in few products and few undemanding markets, making it highly vulnerable to shocks on a small number of commodity and geographical markets. At the same time, the diversity of climatic conditions and ample water resources create significant growth and diversification potential for Georgian agriculture
By the end of March, food prices increased by 4.4% y/y (that is, compared to March 2016) and by 1.6% m/m (that is, compared to February 2017). On a biweekly basis, the biggest price increases happened for coriander (40.3%), cucumber (30.0%), and eggplant (14.9%). Carrots, onions, and tomatoes, on the contrary, became cheaper and cost 22.1%, 24.4%, and 15.0% less, respectively.