On Tuesday, President Vladimir Putin acknowledged the Russian lack of potato, which was powered by the underminating crop yields, which led to document will increase.
“Yesterday [Monday]I met with representatives of varied enterprise areas, together with agriculture. It seems that we do not have sufficient potatoes ”, Putin said Throughout a tv assembly. “I spoke to [Belarusian President] Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko. He mentioned, “We now have already bought every thing to Russia.”
On the day earlier than, Lukashenko’s press workplace joked that Belarus had already planted extra potatoes.
The Belarus have been reportedly complain For months by the poor high quality and the restricted supply of potatoes in retailers. In April, the authorities in Minsk allowed value will increase on potatoes, cabbage and onions. In the beginning of Might, Lukaschenko admitted that potato shortages had grow to be an issue.
Potato costs have elevated in Russia. Based on State State Statistics Company Rosenstat, retail costs rose by 92percentlast yr. By Might 2025, costs had elevated by 166.5% within the earlier yr, which made the potatoes the quickest quickly rising meals within the nation and set a document for the very best annual improve because the begin of the recorded statistics in 2002.
Russia too become The world’s most costly marketplace for wholesale potatoes. Based on the AB-Middle agricultural evaluation firm, wholesale costs rose by 285.5% in early April in comparison with the earlier yr, which rose from 11.4 rubles ($ 0.14) to 42.4 rubles (0.53 USD) per kilogram (with out VAT).
For comparability: The worldwide common is round 17 euros cents (roughly 15.5 rubles) per kilogram.
The worth increase follows a nasty harvest attributable to uncommon frost and longer drought. In 2024, Russia produced 7.3 million tons of potatoes, a decline of 1.2 million tons in comparison with the earlier yr.
The Minister of Agriculture Oksana Lut has estimated that home demand is round 8 million tons yearly.
In response to this, the Russian authorities authorized Tax -free potato imports from so -called “pleasant international locations” from January.
The deputy state spokesman Boris Chernyshov has called For the short-term authorities regulation of potato costs in retail.
“Potatoes are generally known as the second bread,” wrote Chernyshov in a letter to Maxim Reshetnikov Minister of Financial Affairs. “Sharp value fluctuations in such a socially vital product pressure the budgets of thousands and thousands of households.”
Some regional leaders have already taken the matter into their very own fingers. On Tuesday, the governor of the Kaliningrad area Alexei Besprzvannykh forbidden The export of potatoes from the area after the native costs and the shortage of lack of improve rose.
