This week we are offering a special edition of the Khachapuri Index. For this edition, we asked our relatives and friends who live abroad to tell us the price of khachapuri ingredients they are buying. Unfortunately, they cannot buy Imeretian cheese in their counties of residence, so they usually use mozzarella or feta cheese to make khachapuri. Of course, even mozzarella cheese brands and prices vary from country to country.

In developed countries like Korea and Australia, employment in the agricultural sector is gaining more and more popularity, however, moving back to the countryside in developing nations remains associated with poverty, inefficiency, and lack of progress.

Despite the fast pace of installing gas infrastructure throughout the country, wood remains a major household fuel in Georgia. According to Georgia’s energy balance, in 2014, Georgian households consumed 19,131 Terajoules of biofuel and waste (mainly wood). The share of wood in total energy consumed by households was 38%.

After a hike in excise tax on cigarettes in January 2017, the Parliament of Georgia is going to introduce legislative changes to the existing tobacco control law (TCL) in March. Since its enactment in 2003, TCL has been modified several times. However, the recently proposed changes can be considered the most radical step towards a tobacco-free society in Georgia. New draft law comprehensively covers production, packaging, marketing, advertising, selling and consumption of tobacco, and other activities of tobacco businesses.

In February 2017, the average cost of cooking one standard Imeretian khachapuri declined to 3.66 GEL, which is 0.2% lower month-on-month (that is, compared to January 2017) and 6.2% higher year-on-year (compared to February 2016).