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Russia Faces Severe Potato Shortage as Prices Soar 52%

A frost- and drought-hit harvest combined with western sanctions has depleted Russia’s potato reserves, prompting Belarus to lift its EU vegetable embargo to bolster supplies.

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Overview

  • The 2024 harvest declined by about 12% after unseasonable frosts and drought damaged over 265,000 hectares of potato crops.
  • Potato prices have climbed 52% since January, making them the fastest-rising component of Russia’s food inflation.
  • President Putin admitted on state television that national reserves are exhausted and is appealing to foreign partners for assistance.
  • Belarus’s own stocks are depleted, leading President Lukaschenko to urge farmers to boost plantings and end the EU fruit and vegetable ban.
  • The shortage endangers staple dishes and private vodka distillation in Russia, and sanctions restrict options for importing substitutes.