From October 3 to 5, ISET Policy Institute and Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Development in Transition Economies (IAMO) hosted a three-day International Conference. The conference was jointly organized by ISET and IAMO and titled “Improving the Functioning of Agri-Food Value Chains in the South Caucasus Region”.

Increases in food prices and their volatility are global challenges, particularly affecting import-dependent developing countries where spending on food is relatively high. While major concerns regarding price dynamics and volatility are typically driven by the physical availability and financial accessibility of food.

For the countries in the South Caucasus, health hidden costs amount to 87%, 88%, and 92% of the total quantified hidden costs of agri-food systems. In terms of the share in GDP, they subsequently comprise 18%, 16%, and 22%, respectively.

In June 2024, the National Statistics Office of Georgia issued its annual publication on the agricultural sector – Agriculture of Georgia 2023. The publication estimates that agriculture, forestry, and fishing comprised 6.9% of the GDP in 2023, which is slightly lower than in previous years, but in line with general trends over the last few years (agricultural GDP being 7-8% of GDP on average).

International wheat prices have emerged as a significant policy concern in recent years, notably during the Covid-19 pandemic and Russia's war in Ukraine, as Russia has been known for periodically halting its grain exports to impact global prices. Georgia heavily depends on wheat imports from Russia, with over 95% of its wheat historically sourced from there.