Belarus opens to European potatoes
Lifted No import of some food products from the so -called hostile countries. Belarus opens to European potatoes, onions and cabbage. Embargo on These products were implemented in January 2022. The Prime Minister of Belarus Alaxandr Turczyn officially explained this decision “with a demonstration of his openness, peaceful nature and the principles of good neighborhood.” Independent media, however, describe that it can be a reaction to a problem that Belarus and Russia encountered.
Belarus will not help Russia
– We have already sold everything to Russia – in an interview with Vladimir Putin, the President of Belarus Alaxandr Lukashenko was to say. The Russians are to press Belarusians to give them some of their potatoes. The problem, however, is that they have a problem themselves. “The Moscow Times” describes that Belarusians have been complaining about poor quality and limited supply of potatoes in stores for months. IN April allowed to raise prices Potatoes, onions and cabbage, and in May Lukashenko himself admitted that there are deficiencies in the country and this is a problem.
Potato prices in Russia have fired
The situation in Russia looks equally problematically. According to the State Statistical Agency Rosstat Retail prices of potatoes increased in May by 166.5 percent, Comparing to prices from last year. This made potatoes the fastest growing food product in the country and set an absolute record of the highest annual growth since the beginning of the statistics in 2002. The situation in wholesale looks even worse, where prices Potatoes were to increase in April by 285.5 percent. From the beginning of the year, the Russians began to bring potatoes to the country from friendly countries. They were even released from duties.
Political emotions around potatoes
“Significant price fluctuations in this socially important product significantly increase the load budget millions of families. Tfor a vegetable that is traditionally considered inexpensive foodin 2024 alone, it almost doubled its price, and the growth rate accelerates, “alarmed the Vice -President of the State Duma Borys Czernyszow. He demanded the regulation of potato prices, emphasizing that they were often called” second bread “in Russia. In some regions, potato exports were already banned to meet local demand.
Where does the problem with potatoes come from?
Frosts and prolonged drought meant that this year's potato harvest was simply smaller. In 2024, Russia produced 7.3 million tons of metric potatoes, which is decrease by 1.2 million tons compared to the previous year. In turn, when it comes to Belarus, Lukashenko's country produced about 3.1 million tons of potatoes in 2024. A year earlier, the collections were at the level of approx. 4 million tons. This means decrease by 22.5 percent
Read also: “These potatoes can save our lives. They are resistant to extreme conditions”.
Sources: “The Moscow Times“, interfax.com, kommersant.ru, Gazeta.pl