ISET Policy Institute hosted a roundtable discussion on March 31 at Rooms Hotel Tbilisi, where participants discussed the impact of public spending on agriculture in relation to the value and destination of agricultural exports, particularly to the European Union (EU).

The budget for the Ministry of Environment Protection and Agriculture (MEPA) amounted to 698.5 million GEL (an increase of 10.0 million GEL) in 2023.

As a result of the update, the growth forecast for Q1 of 2023 was reduced by 0.1 percentage points to 2.6%. ISET PI’s second forecast for Q2 of 2023 puts GDP growth at a positive 1.6%.

In January 2023, Georgian power plants generated 1,111 mln. kWh of electricity. This represents an 8% increase in the total generation compared to the previous year (in January 2022, the total generation was 1,025 mln. kWh).

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine profoundly impacted the global economy, immediately sending shockwaves across the globe. The attack of a country that was once a major energy supplier to Europe on the country which was one of the top food exporters in the world, sent food and fuel prices spiraling, causing major energy shortages and the prospect of protracted recession in the United States and the European Union.