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

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.

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