In the first half of January, Georgian retail food prices went up. Compared to mid-December, ISET’s Retail Food Price index experienced a significant 10.1% increase. Prices increased across key food commodities as a result of the holiday-related slump in demand. The Georgian lari depreciation applied additional upward pressure on the GEL prices of imported food products.

Driven by the sharp seasonal increase in the price of Imeretian cheese, the average cost of cooking one standard Imeretian Khachapuri in December 2016 stood at 3.62 GEL. The Index reached its lowest value (3.51 GEL) in Batumi; the maximum was observed in Kutaisi and Tbilisi (3.75 GEL and 3.63 GEL, respectively). The average price of 3.62 GEL is 4.2% higher compared to the previous month (November 2016), and 4.0% lower compared to December of last year.

ISET proudly presents its brand new Georgian Supra Index, 2016, cooked specially for the Khachapuri Index’s New Year edition. Served on the Georgian Supra Map (supra’s literal meaning is “tablecloth”), our Supra Index measures the cost (in GEL) of a standard supra feast for a family of 5-6 persons across Georgia’s regions.

Farmers can be much more effective if they have up-to-date information, on prices, practices, and weather. With mobile phones and mobile Internet, they can get this information when, where, and how they need it. The promise of the Internet for agriculture has been a popular idea, and in Georgia, too, policymakers and donors have begun to explore the options. Some pilot projects seek to program specific platforms for farmers, in order to inform and engage them.

In the first two weeks of December, Georgian retail prices increased. ISET’s Retail Food Price index gained 1.2% m/m (compared to mid-November). Nonetheless, compared to December 2015, the holidays will cost less than n 2016, as we recorded a significant 13% decrease in food prices.