The average cost of cooking one standard Imeretian khachapuri in January 2017 across Georgian cities varied from 3.56 GEL (prices observed in Tbilisi and Telavi were exactly the same) to 3.92 GEL (observed in Kutaisi). The overall average price was 3.67 GEL, which is 1.3% higher compared to the previous month (December 2016), and 1.9% higher compared to same month last year (January 2016).

The average cost of cooking one standard Imeretian Khachapuri in the last month of 2016 increased to 3.62 GEL, which is 4.6 % higher month-on-month (m/m, that is, compared to the previous month), and 4% lower year-on-year (y/y, that is, compared to the same month of last year).

Geostat has published its rapid estimate of real GDP growth for the fourth quarter of 2016. The estimated growth stands at 1.2%, which is 1.7% lower than the value forecasted in the last update of our model. Given the latest data, Georgian real GDP growth in 2016 is estimated as having been 2.2% (0.5 percentage points lower than projected by our model).

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.