Potatoes and carrots have risen sharply in Russia. This is reported by RBC.
According to Rosstat data, in the first five weeks of 2021, the average price of a kilogram of potatoes increased by 40 percent compared to the beginning of 2020 and reached 30.9 rubles. The price for carrots increased by 34 percent. The price per kilogram for the same period amounted to 37 rubles against 27.5 rubles last year. Prices for tomatoes (20 percent) and onions (10 percent) also increased.
The Ministry of Agriculture explained that the rise in price of potatoes was influenced by a decrease in the production of this product due to unfavorable weather conditions. The ministry said that in 2020, the harvest decreased by 11.3 percent compared to 2019, and the share of small potatoes also increased in it. A ministry spokesman added that a correction in potato prices is expected from June, when the new crop begins to enter the market.
Director of the Fruit and Vegetable Union Mikhail Glushkov also noted that carrots have risen in price, on the contrary, due to the fact that they were planted less in 2020, since in 2019, due to overproduction, the price dropped significantly.
Earlier, the Ministry of Agriculture named foodstuffs, which rose the most in January 2021. So, in the first month of this year, vegetables and pasta rose in price as much as possible. Cucumbers rose in price by 9.7 percent, on average one kilogram costs 107.3 rubles.