Food supply systems are crucial to the economies of most developing countries, supplying the largest share of food production, and constituting livelihoods and a key source of income for the majority of the population (FAO, 2020). It is therefore vital to maintain the steady flow of goods and services required from local and international food supply chains to ensure the health of the population, and to protect their incomes and livelihoods.

In October 2020, Georgian power plants generated 852 mln. kWh of electricity. This represents a 6% increase in total generation, compared to the previous year (in October 2019, the total generation was 800 mln. kWh). The increase in generation on a yearly basis comes from the increase of 17% in wind power generation and 71% in thermal power generation, more than offsetting the decrease of 17% in hydropower generation.

The lockdowns and trade restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in shortages of some major food commodities on international and local markets. In this policy brief, we discuss and analyze Georgia's response to the crisis in terms of food security and agricultural policy. Furthermore, we provide recommendations to ensure fewer disruptions in food supply chains and low volatility in food prices.

As the Georgian Lari (GEL) briefly depreciated in September 2020, the National Bank of Georgia (NBG) once again became the subject of criticism for not being able to stabilize the exchange rate even though it had injected 120 million US$ into the economy. At a press conference (2020/09/16), the President of the NBG objected that the aim of the injection of US$ was not to strengthen the GEL since the NBG operated under a floating exchange rate policy. Rather, he went on to explain, the NBG’s constitutional duty was to ensure price stability on the basis of an inflation-targeting framework.

In September 2020, Georgian power plants generated 877 mln. kWh of electricity. This represents a 7% increase in total generation, compared to the previous year (September 2019, the total generation was 821 mln. kWh). The increase in generation on a yearly basis comes from the increase of 15% in wind power generation, 13% in thermal power generation, and 5% in hydro power generation.