Market data recently published by analysts show that record-high prices for potatoes in the Russian Federation and fears of a shortage of cultivars in the 2021-2022 season are forcing Russian traders to look for tubers at an affordable price coming not from areas far away, but from Kyrgyzstan and Moldova.
However, according to EastFruit, the volumes of these supplies can be large by the standards of the supplying countries, but they are small for the Russian Federation. Based on intel coming from the traders, there are also more and more potatoes supplied to the Russian market from Iran. This is a case of large volumes. Also, the possibilities of importing potatoes even from Pakistan are being researched now.
“It is notable that Central Asian countries, especially Uzbekistan, are themselves deficient in potatoes. Only Kyrgyzstan grows enough to provide large export volumes. Farmers in the mountainous regions of the country focus on potato production. With a temperate mountain climate and sufficient precipitation, as well as high potato prices in the region, potato farming is a profitable and sustainable business for small and medium-sized farms in Kyrgyzstan,” wrote EastFruit analysts in a recent article.
A major increase in the supply of Kyrgyz potatoes to Russia this year could lead to a jump in their prices in Central Asia. For instance, Uzbekistan previously imported potatoes mainly from Russia, but the price level in Russia is so high this year that imports are out of the question. At the same time, Uzbekistan itself has already imported a record volume of potatoes in the first half of the year.
Russian potato growers can sell tubers on average three times more expensive than usual at the moment.
Normally, local stocks are the highest at this time, and Russia exports spuds. Imports usually begin only in March or April, when local stocks are exhausted.
Moldova Exported Potatoes to North Macedonia at a Better Price
The same experts say that abnormally low potato prices in Moldova this season have made this country, which is usually a net importer of potatoes, a significant exporter in September-October 2021. EastFruit intel shows that the first batch of Moldovan potatoes was recently exported to North Macedonia.
“This is not the first surprise of the season on the potato market in Moldova. Earlier, EastFruit has repeatedly written about the rather striking supplies of Moldovan potatoes to Russia and Belarus when they are harvesting themselves and prices in their markets are usually the lowest. Moreover, both Belarus and Russia used to export potatoes to Moldova,” said the above-cited sources.
Cultivars in Moldova are still the cheapest in the region. Even despite the rapid rise in prices in mid-October, wholesale potato prices in Moldova are lower than in Poland. Potatoes in Belarus now cost two times and in Russia almost three times as much as in Moldova.
However, potato prices in North Macedonia were even higher than in Russia.
“Therefore, it is possible that this delivery will not be the only one. In general, potato prices in the Balkan countries are quite high this season,” East European experts concluded.
