Russia faces record potato crisis amid food inflation surge

According to Russia’s Federal Statistics Service, the surge in potato prices is the steepest among all tracked food products. The spike follows a dramatic increase in 2024 due to poor harvests, compounding food inflation and putting more pressure on Russian households.

Bloomberg noted that President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly expressed concern about inflation, which nearly reached 10% last year. In January, he urged government officials to take swift action to control rising prices. Potatoes are a dietary cornerstone in Russia, which ranks among the world’s top 10 consumers. So any price hike hits hard. Retail prices have already exceeded RUB 100 (USD 1.20) per kilogram in many supermarkets — higher than the national average data suggests.

The Kremlin is now scrambling to stabilize the domestic market. In January, the government lifted the 5% import duty and greenlit duty-free imports of up to 150,000 tons of potatoes. China, along with more traditional exporters like Egypt and Uzbekistan, has ramped up shipments to Russia. Still, the efforts have done little to stop the climb.

Oksana Lut, Agriculture Minister of Russia:

"We expect potato prices to start falling. In July, we’ll begin harvesting our early crops, plus we’ve got ongoing imports from Egypt and Uzbekistan."

However, Bloomberg warned that weather could still play a major role — potatoes are water-intensive, and yields remain vulnerable to dry conditions. Prices continue to soar despite government support for domestic producers, export restrictions, and waived import duties. As of April 28, the average retail price for potatoes reached 84.7 rubles (USD 1) per kilogram, up RUB 27.9 (USD 0.34) (49%) since the start of the year.

Year-on-year, potato prices have jumped by a staggering 173% — the highest since public records began in 2002. In response, Russia’s Agriculture Ministry announced plans to double the duty-free import quota as the crisis continues to unfold.