Georgia to publicly examine food pricing

A special commission to study the process of food price formation in Georgia will be established in the parliament immediately after the opening of the spring session in February, said the Speaker of Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili.

“With the opening of the spring session, the Georgian parliament will create a special commission and begin a public examination of the process of food price formation,” Papuashvili said, Caliber.Az reports per Georgian media.

He added that the public format will allow society to observe how retail prices are formed and identify potential shortcomings in the process.

“An open, democratic process creates informed citizens who understand and are involved in discussions on pressing issues and participate in decision-making,” Papuashvili stated.

The spring session of parliament will open on February 3, 2026. Annual inflation in Georgia (from October 2024 to October 2025) reached 5.2%, exceeding the target of 3%. Prices increased most sharply for food and non-alcoholic beverages, by 11.7%.

As a reminder, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze recently pledged to reduce food prices across the country. He highlighted the significant price differences between domestic products and those in Europe: pasta is 97% more expensive, rice 180%, butter 30%, cheese 42%, and chocolate 47% higher.

“The price gap is caused by high markups from distributors and retailers, which on average account for 86% from the Georgian border to the store shelf,” he said, pledging that authorities will begin negotiations with distributors and retail chains and, if necessary, use antitrust mechanisms. 

By Khagan Isayev