Project aims to study the best international practices of food security data collection mechanisms and map and analyze the existing mechanisms in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia in terms of food security data collection. ISET-PI team is expected to compare national data collection mechanisms with international practices, identify key gaps and challenges in measuring FS and provide specific recommendations for FS data collection in three countries.

Food prices in the largest supermarkets of Georgia have been on decline over the last couple of months. Prices started adjusting downwards in July 2015 and the trend persisted in September. According to ISET Policy Institute’s Retail Food Price Index (Retail FPI) in September 2015, prices were 1% lower compared to August 2015.

The Georgian Lari has lost in value during the last couple of weeks, but, perhaps surprisingly, this has not yet translated into higher food prices. According to the latest results of ISET's Retail Food Price Index (FPI), the prices of food staples sold in the main Georgian supermarket chains have actually decreased by 0.6% during the last week of August (Aug 22-29).

The main objective of this project was to analyse the predicted potential for Georgia to specialize in the production of various agricultural goods. APRC assisted the German Economic Team within this project with regards to: searching, collecting and summarizing data, reviewing existing literature to study the potential of agricultural goods which have a relative comparative advantage compare to other.

Exchange rate fluctuations are one of the most popular topics for debate in today’s Georgia. Given that Georgia’s self-sufficiency ratio in food products is quite limited (34%), Lari depreciation might be particularly hurtful for Georgian consumers, who spend considerable amount of their income on food.