Georgia is experiencing a shortage of beef in the domestic market, which is driving prices up and increasing dependence on imports, according to Bidzina Gonashvili, founder of “Tserti.” He says the supply gap is the result of several combined factors affecting local production.
One of the main reasons, he explains, is the large volume of cattle being exported, as foreign buyers offer higher prices than local purchasers, making exports more attractive for farmers. At the same time, production costs have increased significantly in recent years due to higher prices for feed, fuel, and labor, leading some producers and companies to exit the sector and weakening the supply chain.
Gonashvili argues that these developments have created a structural imbalance, where more cattle has been exported than the domestic market can afford to lose. As a result, he says the local market is now facing a deepening shortage, which continues to push prices upward.
He estimates that retail beef prices currently range between 35 and 40 GEL per kilogram and warns that further increases are likely in July and August. According to him, producer prices may also rise from around 24 GEL to 25–26 GEL per kilogram, which could eventually add another 1.5–3 GEL to retail prices for consumers.
