Russian struggle: Potatoes skyrocket amidst import reliance
The Russian vegetable market is experiencing a crisis. Potato prices have increased by 166.5%, and supplies are running low. The Russian Ministry of Agriculture acknowledges that last year's harvests have largely come to an end.
Price increases for vegetables are particularly harsh for consumers who base their diet on traditional dishes.
Drastic potato price hikes in Russia
The Russian vegetable market is facing serious challenges. Potato prices have increased by 166.5%. By the end of April 2025, the average retail price of potatoes was 84.7 rubles per kilogram (approximately 0.99 CAD/kg), representing a 27.9 ruble increase since the beginning of the year. The problem is also that last year's harvest stocks are running low.
Due to dwindling domestic stocks, Russia is forced to import potatoes from Egypt, Pakistan, and China. This situation is caused by frosts and droughts that significantly reduced last year's harvest. The Moscow Times reports that Russian farmers harvested 7.3 million tonnes of potatoes, which falls short of the national demand of 8 million tonnes.
The Russian Ministry of Agriculture has admitted that imported products currently dominate the shelves, which also contributes to price increases.
Problems with other vegetables
Not only potatoes, but also other vegetables such as onions and cabbage, have seen significant price increases. Onions have become 87.2% more expensive, and cabbage has increased by 56.8%. Harvests of these vegetables fell by 0.7% and 5.6%, respectively.
In mid-May, the average prices of onions and white cabbage were 72.3 rubles per 1 kg (approximately 0.84 CAD/kg) and 75.2 rubles per 1 kg (approximately 0.87 CAD/kg), respectively.
Even beets and tomatoes did not escape price increases—these vegetables became more expensive by 11.9% and 1.2%, respectively. However, the Ministry of Agriculture does not consider this a significant problem, claiming that the increase in vegetable prices is less than the rate of food inflation.
According to government data from Rosstat, from 2022 to 2024, prices of various products increased by a total of 31.7%, and in 2024 alone, inflation was 9.5%.
The Russian agriculture department plans to reduce reliance on imports by increasing the area of cultivation and expanding vegetable storage facilities. Currently, the storage capacity stands at 9.2 million tonnes, representing an increase of 147,000 tonnes from the previous year.
"Potatoes should not be a luxury"
As early as April 2025, Russian politicians began to mention problems with potatoes. "Potatoes should not be a luxury; their price should be stablee," assessed the Vice Chairman of the Duma, Boris Chernyshov, in an interview with "Komsomolskaya Pravda."
The potato crisis was caused by very successful harvests in 2023, resulting in an abundance of potatoes that overwhelmed storage space. Despite this, more vegetables continued to be imported.
"In 2023, we had a record harvest, there were a lot of potatoes, which affected the price; farms lost profitability," admitted Tatiana Gubina of the Potato Union.
