On November 26, 2018, the third Phase of Reformeter started with an assessment of the implementation of the Agricultural Development Strategy. The Deputy Minister of Environment Protection and Agriculture of Georgia, Giorgi Khanishvili, and other employees of the Ministry, as well as representatives of NGOs and international organizations, took part in the event.

On November 15, 2018, the Agricultural Policy Research Center (APRC) presented the results of its “Study on Private Service Providers in the Organic Hazelnut Value Chain in Georgia” to stakeholders. The event was organized by HEKS-EPER South Caucasus, the ISET Policy Institute (ISET-PI), and PAKKA AG, a Swiss holding.

The state budget for 2019 is currently being discussed in Parliament and must be approved by the end of the year. According to the revised version (second version), the total budget will be around 13 billion GEL. Out of which, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture (MEPA) will get 332 million GEL (2.4% of the total budget).

As part of its MA in Economics program, ISET has launched a new Concentration in Modern Data Analysis (MDA), which is aimed at providing young professionals with expertise in data (including big data) management and analysis using modern analytical tools.

I have been living away from Yerevan for four years. Over these years, every time I visited my city, I noticed more and more new (and fancy) cafes. Over time, I also noticed that café visits seemed to grow in numbers and I started wondering whether it was just my impression or the reality. I have been particularly puzzled by the paradoxical nature of the fact that people always complain about their wages and living standards, yet they do not mind spending money in cafés.