Driven by fruits and vegetables, Georgian retail food prices are going down. In the first half of May, ISET’s Retail Food Price Index lost 2.9% y/y (compared to May 2015) and 1.8% m/m (compared to April 2016). The leaders in prices declines were cheese, greens, and coffee: down by 10.2%, 5.1%, and 2.7%, respectively.

Spring brings happiness in peoples’ lives not only because of the brighter days but also because of the increased supply of many seasonal products. This is reflected in the production cost of Khachapuri. In April 2016, the national average cost of preparing one standard Imeretian khachapuri went down to 3.16 GEL, 3.2% lower compared to March 2016 (but 6.9% higher compared to April 2015).

In March 2016, the average cost of cooking one standard Imeretian khachapuri declined to 3.27 GEL, which is 5% lower month-on-month (that is compared to February 2016), and 6.9% higher year-on-year (compared to March 2015).

In March 2016, the average cost of cooking one standard Imeretian Khachapuri stood at 3.27GEL, which is 5% lower month-on-month (m/m, that is compared to the previous month), but 6.9% higher year-on-year (y/y, that is compared to the same month of last year).

Spring is already here. Seeing more sunshine and rains, Georgia’s western provinces are enjoying the sharpest seasonal increases in the supply of fresh milk and dairy products, such as Imeretian cheese. This cheese is the main (and most expensive) component of the Georgian khachapuri, driving the sharp seasonal fluctuations of the Khachapuri Index.