24
August
2015
On August 16-22, 2015 the head of ISET-PI's Agricultural Policy Research Center (APRC), Pati Mamardashvili participated in a study tour in Switzerland, organized by the Market Opportunities for Livelihood Improvement in Kakheti (MOLI) project. Local government and private sector representatives from Kakheti were invited on the tour.
14
August
2015
Exchange rate fluctuations are one of the most popular topics for debate in today’s Georgia. Given that Georgia’s self-sufficiency ratio in food products is quite limited (34%), Lari depreciation might be particularly hurtful for Georgian consumers, who spend considerable amount of their income on food.
04
August
2015
Georgia’s wine industry is heavily dependent on export to CIS countries, especially Russia. Two main short-run risks associated with the Russian market presently affect Georgian wine exports: The possibility that Russia might cancel its free trade agreement with Georgia, and the economic slowdown in Russia which could lead to reduced demand for Georgian wine.
17
July
2015
ISET-PI launched the Retail Food Price Index in July 2015. The project is implemented thanks to the cooperation of the largest Georgian retail chains including Carrefour, Goodwill, Fresco, and SPAR. While data from the individual retailers are confidential, the average of prices from all stores can be combined to create a general FPI, as well as FPIs for individual products.
17
July
2015
The first tea bushes appeared in Western Georgia in 1847, and since then tea production has played a significant, yet widely unknown, role in Georgia’s history. The humid and subtropical climate of Western Georgia in the regions of Guria, Samegrelo, Adjara, Imereti, and Abkhazia are ideal for harvesting tea, and this was a fact eventually recognized by businessmen outside Georgia.
