In February 2022, the cost of cooking one standard Imeretian khachapuri increased both annually and monthly, ranging between 5.7 GEL (Kutaisi) and 6.1 GEL (Tbilisi), with an average cost of 5.8 GEL. The latest average price is 28.8% higher than in February 2021. In month-to-month developments, the price of a khachapuri is 0.8% higher compared to the previous month January 2022.

In January 2022, Georgian power plants generated 1025 mln. kWh of electricity (Figure 1). This represents a 27% increase in total generation, compared to the previous year (in January 2021, the total generation was 808 mln. kWh). The increase in generation on a yearly basis comes from the increase of 11%, 49%, and 30% in hydropower, thermal, and wind power generation, respectively.

For the first quarter of 2022, business confidence in Georgia decreased (by 13.3 index points) and reached 17.3. The highest decrease in business confidence is observed in service (-25.8), manufacturing (-20.8), and wholesale and retail trade (-16.1) sectors.

The CCI has fallen again. After a slight rebound of the Consumer Confidence Index in November, the index further improved in December from -31 to -29.8. However, in January the index decreased by 2.5 index points and fell to -32.3. Both the Present Situation Index and the Expectations Index followed the same trend in December as well as in January, with the Present Situation Index decreasing by 1.9 index points and the Expectations Index by 3.2 points (Chart 1).

On 17 February, ReforMeter hosted its first public-private dialogue on E-commerce reform. The event highlighted the core issues, challenges, and recommendations behind the creation of a Georgian E-commerce policy.