NBG Chair and Finance Minister hold talks with IMF Middle East and Central Asia Director
Amid the ongoing annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank in Washington, Natia Turnava, President of the National Bank of Georgia, and Lasha Khutsishvili, Minister of Finance, together with their delegation, met with Jihad Azour, Director of the IMF’s Middle East and Central Asia Department.
According to the National Bank of Georgia, the discussions centred on Georgia’s fiscal and monetary policies, macroeconomic outlook, and prospects for further cooperation with the IMF.
It was reaffirmed that Georgia’s macroeconomic fundamentals remain robust, and the country’s external position has markedly improved in recent years.
The meeting noted that as of March 2026, headline inflation stood at 4.3%. Core inflation remained below the target, at approximately 2.4%, while inflation in services stayed close to the target, reaching 3.3%.
“These indicators, which better reflect long-term inflation trends, suggest that inflation expectations are well managed,” stated the President of the National Bank.
The discussion also highlighted the NBG’s strategy of building international currency reserves, with a positive assessment of Georgia’s foreign currency reserves reaching a record high in 2025. For the first time since 2022, international reserves exceeded the 100% adequacy threshold.
The talks also addressed the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, with concerns expressed that prolonged instability could impact the country’s economic forecasts.
On his part, Jihad Azour remarked that despite regional uncertainties and the conflict, Georgia has been effectively managing external shocks and maintaining a stable economic environment.
The meeting was attended by the Vice Presidents of the National Bank of Georgia, Ekaterine Mikabadze, Ekaterine Galdava, and Nino Jeladze, as well as Deputy Ministers of Finance, Giorgi Kakauridze and Ekaterine Guntsadze.
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Wheat production decreases, while barley increases in 2025 - GeoStat
15.04.2026.17:21
According to preliminary data for 2025 from the National Statistics Office of Georgia (GeoStat), wheat production decreased by 3.6 per cent compared to the same period last year, reaching 143.7 thousand tonnes. Barley production, on the other hand, increased by 24.8 per cent year-on-year, amounting to 60.4 thousand tonnes. Maize production stood at 200.2 thousand tonnes, representing a 5.3 per cent decline compared to the same period in 2024. Potato production fell by 6.1 per cent, totalling 207.9 thousand tonnes. Additionally, vegetable production amounted to 146.3 thousand tonnes, reflecting an increase of 8.9 per cent compared to 2024.
GeoStat reported that the average yields of potatoes and vegetables have declined compared to the previous year, while the average yields of barley and maize have risen.
According to the survey results, the average yield of wheat was 2.9 t/ha, the average yield of barley was 2.7 t/ha, the average yield of maize was 3.1 t/ha, the average yield of potato was 14.5 t/ha, and the average yield of vegetables was 10.6 t/ha.
At the same time, the GeoStat reports that in 2025, sown areas of annual crops amounted to 184.3 thousand hectares, which is 3.8 per cent less than the same period of the previous year. However, the sown area of winter crops decreased by 1.3% and consisted of 60.4 thousand hectares, and the sown area of spring crops decreased by 4.9% and consisted of 123.9 thousand hectares.
The sown area of maize took the biggest share in the sown areas of annual crops and equalled 65.3 thousand hectares. Sown area of wheat was 49.4 thousand hectares, sown area of barley – 24.0 thousand hectares, sown area of potato – 14.3 thousand hectares, sown areas of fodder crops – 10.3 thousand hectares, sown area of vegetables – 10.8 thousand hectares and sown areas of the remaining crops 10.2 thousand hectares.
According to the preliminary data, in 2025, 205.6 thousand tons of fruit (except grapes and citrus) were produced in the country, which is 15.6 per cent less than in the same period of the previous year. As for the distribution of fruits by species during the reference period, 72.3 thousand tons of pome fruit were produced, which is 19.3 per cent less than in the same period of the previous year.
Production of stone fruit consisted of 53.3 thousand tons (30.5% lower), production of nuts – 53.9 thousand tons (2.7% higher), production of subtropical fruit – 17.4 thousand tons (1.2% higher) and Berries – 8.7 thousand tons (16.0% higher).
In 2025, grape production reached 347.4 thousand tonnes, marking an 8.3 per cent increase compared to the previous year, while citrus production amounted to 55.0 thousand tonnes, a slight decrease of 0.4 per cent from the previous year.