APRC will carry out an assessment of enterprise performance of agricultural cooperatives after conducted training and development programs, and will identify further steps and areas of the improvement.

APRC is working on a research to inform the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Protection of Georgia on the costs and benefits of climate change adaptation measures in agriculture of Georgia.

By the end of May, ISET’s Retail Food Price Index increased by 5.5% y/y (compared to May 2016); on a monthly basis (compared to April 2017), retail food prices slightly decreased, by 0.4%. The largest bi-weekly price changes were recorded for seasonal food products such as fresh fruit and vegetables. Prices dropped the most for tomatoes (-28%), garlic (-21%), and cucumber (-8.3%).

Ulrich Koester, Professor of Agricultural Economics at Kiel University and IAMO Visiting Research Fellow paid a visit to ISET on May 30. During his presentation, Prof. Koester provided an overview of the specifics of the agricultural sector and its impact on agricultural trade; furthermore, he clarified that traditional trade theory is of minor relevance for explaining agricultural trade policies and trade flows.

On May 27, 2017, German and Swiss students and professionals from The Mercator Fellowship, together with ISET researchers, visited Kakheti for a wine tour.