‘In Russia, The Cost Of One Potato Is Now Two Potatoes’

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The title of the post is not literally true. Not yet anyway. It’s more poking fun at the dramatic increase in potato prices in Russia and the lowly vegetables’ importance in the Russian diet and Russian psyche. It could well be that the Russian invasion of Ukraine ends not because of some dramatic battle or diplomacy, but rather Russian civilians getting fed up with ever-higher potato prices.

Stranger things have happened.

Source: Zamin

The price of potatoes, one of the most consumed products in the Russian market, has increased sharply since the beginning of the year. This situation is primarily due to a decrease in the volume of potato production in the country, a decrease in yield, and a decrease in reserves.

According to the Kommersant publication, the potato shortage that began in the spring of 2024 has now brought the price of the product to a record level. At the end of April this year, the retail price of potatoes amounted to an average of 85.4 rubles (about 13,500 soums) per kilogram. This figure is almost 3 times higher than at the same time last year.

The increase in wholesale prices has a direct impact on retail prices. Since the beginning of the year, the price of potatoes in the wholesale market has increased by 85.2%, reaching 46.3 rubles (7,300 soums) per kilogram. Even at the beginning of May, this figure increased even more, reaching an average of 51.1 rubles (8,100 soums) per kilogram. This is 4.4 times more than in the same period last year.

The Russian organization “Rusprodsoyuz” also confirms this information. According to it, as of May 2, the wholesale price of potatoes was 47.6 rubles (7,500 soums) per kilogram, having grown by 25% over the past month.

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